Something There
by ChelseaDagger14
Summary: When Cammie, a confident New Yorker, moves to Roseville, Virginia, she's just about sure her life is over. Even when she meets Zach- the cliched, popular boy, it's hardly love at first sight. But is everything in Roseville as perfect as it seems? All normal, no spies!
1. Chapter 1

Something There

Chapter 1

I hate my mother. Officially, now. I hate her. Would you like to know why? Of course you do. I hate her because we are moving.

I know, I sound like a bratty little girl. Moving isn't the end of the world, blah, blah, blah. Despite what others may have to say on the matter, it feels very much like the end of the world to me. Allow me to explain.

I have lived in New York City my whole life. I have attended Gallagher Academy for Girls pretty much my whole life. My best friend has been Macey McHenry my whole life. And now, halfway through my junior year, we are _moving_. Not down the block, not to a nicer apartment on the west side- to Roseville, Virginia.

I know what you're thinking. Where in all of God's grace is Roseville, Virginia. That's exactly what I thought when my mom told me last week that we would be moving there indefinitely. The answer- nowhere. Roseville, Virginia is in the middle of nowhere. It'll defiantly be a huge change, that's for sure. I have lived in the city for as long as I can remember.

"It'll be fine sweetie." My mom's voice interrupts my train of thought from the driver's seat. She's been saying virtually the same thing for the entirety of the six hour drive. "You and Macey will call each other every day, I'm sure. And both of you can visit each other all the time. You'll make so many new friends."

I just sighed and stared out the window. I closed my eyes and thought of my friends back home. They would be at Josh's party right now. Josh was my ex-boyfriend. We broke it off when we found out I was moving last week. We decided it would be best not to try long distance. Well, he decided. I just pretended to agree.

I felt the car stop moving and the ignition stop running. "We're here!" Mom exclaimed. I opened my eyes and went to the back to pull out my suitcase. The rest of our stuff came down a few days ago, so this was the very last bag.

My bright blue convertible came down last week also. It was the best birthday present I have ever gotten. My room was on the third floor. It had a really great view of the field behind our house, but I was much more accustomed to the tall skyscrapers of the city. It was eerily quiet outside.

I threw my bag down and decided that I wanted to clear my head. I unzipped my suitcase and pulled out a neon green sports bra and matching gym shorts. "I'm going for a jog!" I called to my mom as I stretched at the front door.

I put my iPod ear-buds in and turned on a random song from my workout playlist. I took off on a light run down the sidewalk. It was weird, the street was almost deserted, and it was only two pm. Every minute or so, a car would drive down the street. In fact, the only other person there as I walked out the door was a boy across the street.

He was kind-of muscley-looking (but not in a steroids type of way) with shaggy brown hair. He was jogging at almost exactly the same pace as me. I peeked out of the corner of my eye at him, just as he was doing the same thing. His eyes flicked back to the sidewalk in front of him and he smirked.

_Okay… weird. _I thought and picked up my pace a bit. He matched my pace. I ran faster. So did he. I turned my head and narrowed my eyes at him. He grinned back. I was on the varsity cross country team at Gallagher. If he wants to race, we would race.

I could see the end of the road, so I snuck one last glance at the boy and smiled. I was so going to win. I took off in a full sprint to the corner of the sidewalk. He did a double take and started sprinting after me a few seconds later. I reached the end of the road and skidded to a stop. I beat him.

I couldn't contain my grin as I pulled the ear-buds out of my ears and rested my arm on the stop sign to catch my breath. I smiled triumphantly as he sauntered over to me. "Name's Zach." He said, breathing heavily.

"Nice… to meet you…" I managed to say between gulps of air. It really is significantly hotter in Virginia. Temperature-wise, that is. No, no, the hotness level had nothing to do with the tan, green eyed god that stood in front of me. Absolutely nothing.

"Well?" He said. "Don't you have a name?"

I suddenly felt guilty. I'm not in this town for an hour yet and I've already forgotten about everyone back home. I should still be in mourning.

I slipped my iPod back in my ears. "Nope." I said, then started to jog away. He was unfazed by my attempt to appear uninterested.

"Really? No name? What do I call you then?" He asked, jogging beside me and tugging one of my ear-buds out.

"You don't have to call me anything." I said, smiling slightly at his inability to take a hint. Upon seeing my almost-smile, he smirked.

"I bet I can guess… is it Sarah? You kind of look like a Sarah."

"It's not Sarah, and you're not going to be able to guess it." This was going to be a very short run; we were already back at my house. "This is my stop." I declared, backing up into my driveway.

"Oh, you live here?" Zach asked. His tone suggested that he knew something I did not. "Huh. Well, see you around… Jessica?"

I laughed. "Not even close!" I yelled, closing the door behind me. I went to go take a shower. Tomorrow was my first official day at Roseville high. Sigh. Guess I better get used to life in the suburbs.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My phone rang obnoxiously at six am, waking me up from my peaceful slumber. I picked it up, knowing it could only be one person. "Hello?" I asked, my voice groggy.

"Get up! Get on Skype!" Was the only thing Macey yelled into the phone before hanging up. I groaned and rubbed the redness out of my eyes before dragging myself out of bed and onto my laptop, pulling up Skype and accepting an incoming call from Macey.

I held my head as she squealed. "Can I help you?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

"Cameron. As much as I hate the fact that I cannot be there to dress you and do your makeup for your first day, that will not stop me from making you do it yourself." I couldn't help but smile at her aggressive enthusiasm.

"Mace…" I grumbled. "I'm just going to wear a t-shirt and jeans."

Macey sighed and shook her head at me. "And this is why you need me…" She bounced out of her chair and leaned closer to the webcam. "I already laid out an outfit for you so that we wouldn't have to deal with going through all of your stuff. Open up the suitcase you brought home yesterday. There's a new outfit in the 'Rue 21' bag. I snuck it in when you weren't looking. Consider it your parting gift." She said, grinning wildly.

It's official. Macey is the best friend in the world. In the bag was a bright blue top with white lace ruffles, a brown leather jacket, skinny jeans, and a brown suede pair of pirate boots that came up mid-calf with assorted buckles. "Oh my god, Macey… I love it! Thank you so much- it's perfect." I jumped up and down, hugging the clothes to my chest.

"Yay! I knew you would. I thought you could pair it with the blue Chanel bag I got you for your birthday last year. God, I am so jealous that you don't have to wear a uniform…" She complained.

"Macey! Get down here!" Someone yelled in the background.

"Ugh, I have to go…" She said, rolling her eyes. "Have fun! Love yah!" She exclaimed, blowing me a kiss before signing off.

I figured with these clothes, I might as well go all out. I straightened my hair and actually put on a bit of eyeliner and mascara. When I was finished, I looked in the mirror, impressed with my work. Normally, Macey is the only one who can make me look good, but I did a pretty nice job if I must say so myself.

Thanks to Macey's ridiculously early wake up call, I still had time to kill. I hopped down the stairs, taking two at a time and grabbed my purse and backpack.

I distinctly remember seeing a Starbucks on the drive up here, so I drove for a while until I found it. School started at eight o'clock, but I wanted to get there a little bit earlier so I could stop by the head office to get my class schedule and all that stuff.

I pulled into the school parking lot and took another cautious sip from my latte. I glanced at the mirror in my car one last time before slowly stepping out of my flashy blue convertible. I could feel everyone's eyes trained on me. I'm assuming that, due to the small size of the town, they don't get new kids a lot. I held my chin up in mock confidence as I pushed through the front doors.

I cleared my throat to alert the receptionist of my presence. She looked up from her computer. "Oh dear!" She exclaimed. "You must be Cameron. It's so lovely to have you here darling, let me get your schedule for you." She said, digging around through a large stack of papers on her desk.

"Your homeroom is Mr. Gibbs, he should assign you someone to show you around to your classes." She handed me a sheet of paper with my classes listed on it. I smiled at her and returned to the hallway. By the time I found my locker, put my books away, and found my homeroom class- I was almost late. I could only hope that they would cut me some slack because it was my first day.

I opened the door hesitantly and walked into the classroom. The room quieted significantly when I entered. I walked to the front, where there was a middle aged man with glasses reading the newspaper. He didn't seem to have noticed my entrance. "Are you Mr. Gibbs?"

He looked up at me. "Oh yes, and you must be the new girl. Ms. Morgan, I believe?" I nodded. "Hm, yes. Ms. Baxter!" He called. A girl with long curly brown hair and caramel colored skin bounced up.

"Yes, Mr. Gibbs?" She asked in a thick British accent.

"Would you mind showing Ms. Morgan around for today?"

"Not at all," She grabbed my hand and pulled me down to one of the open desks. "You're Cameron, right?" She inquired when we sat down.

"Yeah," I said, smiling politely. "Call me Cammie, though."

"Cool, I'm Bex. Let me see your schedule. I'll show you around today, make sure you know all the ropes and such. Everyone is very excited to meet you, we don't get new people often." Bex was very nice, she led me to all my classes and we chatted about how different Roseville was from New York. When she dropped me off at French, the last class before lunch, she told me to meet her in the cafeteria so I could sit with her and her friends today. I have to admit, I was very relieved to find someone to sit with.

I stood awkwardly in the middle of the cafeteria while almost everyone spoke in hushed voices and shot me glances. _Gee, I wonder what they're talking about…_ I thought, scanning the room for Bex. Suddenly, a girl came bouncing up to me. She looked like the very popular, annoying type. When she approached me, all the talking in the room stopped. You could probably hear a pin drop.

"So," She started loudly. "Is it true that you went to the Guggenheim Academy, you were a cheerleader, and you went on a date with Cole Sprouse?" I stared at her. Everyone in the cafeteria seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for my answer.

"No," I said. A bunch of people looked very disappointed. "It's the Gallagher Academy, I was _head _cheerleader, and I turned him down." She gaped at me and I smiled. I could get used to this mysterious new girl stuff.

"Tina, why don't you leave Cammie alone?" I heard Bex's British voice ask from behind me. I shot her a thankful look. Tina sulked away. Before Bex could lead me to her table though, another voice called me from behind.

"Hey! Jogging girl!" I turned around to see none other than Zach, looking very amused. He didn't notice that we still had an audience consisting of the entire cafeteria.

"Zach?" I asked stupidly.

"The one and only." He replied, flashing a dazzlingly white set of teeth. Bex gazed moved between him and me, like she had to convince herself that what she was seeing was real. "So guess what I learned this morning?" He questioned.

I rolled my eyes, not really in the mood for a guessing game. "I don't know, how to tie your shoes?" Everyone in the cafeteria snickered.

He smirked. "No, I learned that you do have a name- and it's Cammie." He said, poking me in the arm.

"Do you want a gold star?" I asked sarcastically. Everyone laughed again. He turned around to face the crowd.

"Don't you all have something better to do with your time?" He yelled at them and they all quickly turned back to what they were doing before. He smiled lazily at me. "Sorry 'bout that. What if, instead of a gold star, you come eat lunch with me?"

"Oh!" I looked to Bex. "I already-" She gave me a glare that said 'if-you-turn-this-boy-down-because-of-me-you-will-die'. Zach must have read the glare the same way, because he smiled appreciatively at her and dragged me to a table full of guys that looked pepped up on steroids and girls in skimpy cheerleader's outfits.

"Jesus Zach, not a full day in the school yet and you've already claimed her as your own." One of the more built guys said.

I glared at him. "This is not animal planet- I am a person, he cannot _claim_ me."

Zach gave the boy a look. "That's just Grant. Ignore him. He was dropped on his head as a child."

To this, Grant gave a triumphant grin and raised his soda can. "Cheers." He announced.

"So," Zach said, turning back to me. "I know a lot about you now."

"Really?" I said, feeling doubtful. I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"You're a very popular topic, and word travels fast in a school this small, _Gallagher Girl._" He said, emphasizing Gallagher.

"If you're trying to impress me with your knowledge, you should try something the entire cafeteria doesn't already know." I replied, thinking back to my conversation with Tina.

"Hm, let me think…" He said, tapping his finger to his chin. "You and your mom are going to your neighbor's house for dinner tonight! Does the entire cafeteria know that?" He asked, leaning closer to me.

"How did you know that?" I asked suspiciously. He didn't have to answer, because the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"See you around, Gallagher Girl." He said, winking before walking away.

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><p><strong>AN: If there's any suggestions or anything you guys want to see in this story- let me know! Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After lunch, Bex would not stop asking me how I knew Zach. Rather than try to explain it to her during the two minute intervals between classes, I chose to just invite her over for dinner tonight.

"Yes!" She said, grinning. "That way I can give you a proper interrogation." I took her home with me in my blue convertible and I made her promise not to mention anything about Zach to my mother. Not that there was anything going on there, but knowing my mom she would jump to conclusions.

"Okay, spill." Bex demanded once we were safe in my room and not at risk from my mom overhearing our conversation.

I sighed and sat down on the bed. "What do you want to know?" I asked reluctantly.

"What happened at lunch?" She asked eagerly and looked in the mirror to fix her hair.

"Um, not much," I said, thinking back. "We talked. Some dude named Grant made a comment about Zach 'claiming' me." I rolled my eyes at the memory. She perked up at this bit of information.

"Grant?" She asked. "As in Grant Newman?"

I shrugged. "I didn't really catch his last name, but yeah, probably."

She sighed. "God, he's so hot."

"So why don't you ask him out if you like him so much?" Being best friends with Macey McHenry my whole life had given me plenty of self confidence, especially when it came to boys.

She looked annoyed. "Not all of us have the useful reputation of the hot new girl."

I rolled my eyes at her lack of confidence. "Bex, you're gorgeous. If he has any semblance of a brain cell in that head of his, he'll accept."

She smiled genuinely at me. "Enough about me- how do you know Zachary Goode?" She asked.

"I don't really know him, per say. I met him yesterday when I went for a run." I said, picking my words carefully as not to excite her.

She smiled evilly at me. "Well, he seems to have taken an interest in you."

I blushed. "I'm not really sure why that's such a big deal…"

She bit her lip. "I keep forgetting you're new here…" She muttered before turning back to look at me. "Here's what you need to know about Zach. He has the reputation of a player, but in reality, he's only had one or two girlfriends- nothing too serious. Most girls in this school would give an arm and a leg for him to pay attention to them. Oh, and, you know, he's also the quarterback of the school football team, so that doesn't hurt either."

I giggled loudly. "He's the quarterback? That's _so _cliché!"

Bex snorted. "Like you should talk, Miss 'I-was-head-cheerleader'" She tried to mimic my slight New York accent poorly, which just made me laugh harder.

I heard a knock on the bedroom door and my mom popped her head in and smiled at Bex and I laughing loudly on the bed. "Just wanted to let you girls know that I'm going next door now, I'll give you two about another twenty minutes."

"Okay, thanks mom!" I said as she left. I went to change my clothes. As much as I loved Macey's outfit, I always felt more comfortable in a t-shirt. I threw on an 'I-heart-NYC' shirt over my skinny jeans and a pair of black flip flops. This started a whole new round of laughter when I exited the bathroom.

"What?" I asked innocently, but couldn't keep the grin off my face. "Can't appreciate the irony?"

She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me down the stairs. "Come on," She said impatiently.

When we were standing outside the house next door a few minutes later, I turned to whisper in her ear. "I'll wear my Yankees jersey tomorrow…" I could hear her bite back a laugh.

"Please," She said, struggling to contain her giggles. "You think you have it bad? When I came to Roseville, they spent a month asking me why I didn't drink tea with my lunch." We both erupted into laughter at the expense of Roseville's ethnocentrisms. The door opened to reveal a buff boy standing at the doorframe. _Grant._ Bex was still clutching my shoulder and laughing, having not yet seen her crush. I elbowed her in the ribs.

She looked up and saw Grant and sobered up immediately, blushing ferociously. "Hey neighbor," He addressed me with an easy smile on his face, the same one that he wore when we met in the cafeteria today. Then he turned to Bex. "You're Rebecca, right?"

_Oh crap._ I thought, looking at Bex cautiously. _It is never a good thing when your crush has to confirm that he knows your name correctly… _Bex winced a little, but nodded her head.

"Cool, I'm Grant." His smile widened slightly. "Come on in." He stood out of the way from the doorway so that we could walk in. It was the same basic layout as our new house, but inside it looked like a palace. Grant's family was clearly loaded.

"Oh, you must be Cameron!" I heard a female voice say, and I turned around to see a woman in her early forties with features similar to Grant's.

"It's Cammie, actually. This is my friend Bex." I said, shaking her hand and moving Bex forward ever so slightly.

"Pleasure to meet you," Bex said, her accent rather thick. I can only assume that it was because she was nervous. I've been told that my New York accent gets more prominent when I'm angry or anxious.

"Ah, are you the girl who came from London a few years ago? Yes, I think Grant mentioned you once. Well, it's good to finally meet you." She said, clapping her hands together and subtly peeking at Grant out of the corner of her eye.

We all walked back to the kitchen and I saw my mother, who was already talking amicably with Grant's father. She smiled at us and we finished our introductions and chose a set at the long dining table. I noticed that there was one extra place setting. I was about to nudge Bex and point it out to her when we heard the front door slam. In rushed Zach Goode.

_How is it that this boy seems to be everywhere? _I thought as he took his place at the table. "Sorry I'm late, did I miss much?" I purposely avoided his gaze.

"Oh, is this your other son?" My mom asked politely. I looked over to Bex, who looked as confused as I felt.

Mrs. Newman laughed. "No, no- but he's here so often sometimes I think he is." To this, both Grant and Zach smirked simultaneously.

_What is it with Roseville boys and smirking?_ The dinner passed without much event, Zach subtly trying to get me to look him in the eye and me, refusing. Dinner ended, but I could tell that my mom was getting along with Grant's parents well, so she would be staying for a few more hours.

I pulled Bex up from the table with me. "Bex and I are going to go. It was nice meeting you all." I announced with a smile.

Zach and Grant looked at each other and in some sort of unspoken pact stood up from their chairs. "We'll walk you home." They both said, offering up a smile.

Bex snorted and gave me a doubtful look. "What, next door? I think we'll make it." I sneered at them. My mom shot me a warning look, but apparently the boys weren't taking no for an answer.

"Oh, it's no trouble." Grant said, grabbing a leather jacket off the door. Unhappy, but forced to either oblige or face the wrath of my mother, Bex and I walked outside. Once we hit the front porch and the door closed behind us, Zach threw his arm around my shoulder. I stiffened and he looked smug at my response.

"Surprised to see me Gallagher Girl?" He asked. It was dark, but I could tell he was smirking. I shrugged his arm off.

"A little. I wouldn't have pegged you for the stalker type." I walked ahead to where Bex and Grant had gone.

"So… London, huh?" Grant asked awkwardly.

"It's a city… in England. What about it?" I could tell Bex was still annoyed with the whole not-knowing-her-name thing.

"Oh, um, nothing… I guess." I bit back a laugh. Now Grant sounded scared. We had reached my house. I pulled a key out of my back pocket.

"Well, thanks for walking us over, but as you can see, we are now quite safe- so you can both go." I turned around only to see that Zach was literally inches away from me. My breath caught and I took a step back and hit the door. He put his palms on either side of the doorframe and smirked at me. My hand reached out to find the door knob and I spun it open just as he started to lean in- to do God knows what. The door opened and I fell back, Bex rushed in and I slammed the door in Zach's face without thinking.

Bex and I stared at each other for a few seconds in stunned silence before we both burst out into laughter. "Well…" I said, recovering from my giggles. "That was…"

"Totally awkward?" Bex offered.

"I was going to say interesting, but that applies as well." She snorted.

"Zach seemed to enjoy himself." I grimaced.

"Maybe a little too much…" I said, trying not to relive whatever just happened outside.

Bex smiled at me and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Well, you better get used to him. Because Zach Goode isn't the type of guy who gives up easily."

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the wait! Thanks to everyone for your awesome reviews- they made me laugh, and I'll probably use your ideas eventually :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

My alarm blaring woke me up the next morning at the _proper_ time- thank god. I'm not sure I could stand an early morning wakeup call from Macey two days in a row.

I got dressed and went downstairs, eager to get my morning coffee. Instead of my mother waiting in the kitchen for me, there was a note in her place.

_Cammie, I have to fly back up to New York this weekend to work with the realtor on selling the old apartment. Sorry about the short notice kiddo, it was kind of unexpected. You have the house to yourself. Have fun! But not too much fun. Love, Mom _

I sighed. I should be used to it by now. My mom was always running off to do something and leaving me home alone for the weekend. That doesn't mean I have to like it.

I explained this to Bex later in the morning when she asked me what I was doing this weekend. She seemed a bit more enthusiastic then me, however. "You should have a party!" She exclaimed. "Will your mom care?"

I shrugged. "Probably not, just so long as no one wrecks the house and the police don't show up."

She grinned mischievously at me. "Party it is then."

I hesitated. "I don't really know anyone yet… I wouldn't know who to invite." I tried to come up with an excuse.

Bex scoffed. "Well here's the solution to that problem- Tina!" She yelled across the room. Tina looked up from filing her nails. "Party at Cammie's house. Nine o'clock."

I gaped at Bex. Clearly, there was no going back now. "Don't worry about it." Bex said upon seeing my expression. "I'll bring Liz over after school with me and we can help you set up." The bell rang and she flipped her hair and walked away.

* * *

><p>When I was walking in the empty hallway on my way to lunch, I sensed, rather than saw, someone walking behind me. I turned around to find myself colliding with said person, resulting with me collapsed on the floor and a smirking Zach Goode hovering above me.<p>

"Are you okay?" His voice held amusement rather than concern. He offered me his hand to help me up. I took it reluctantly.

"Fine." I grumbled.

"When were you planning on inviting me to your party?" I refused to let myself look surprised that he already knew about the party tonight.

"Never…" I said under my breath. I thought it was low enough that he wouldn't hear, but I started laughing so I guess I was wrong. Whoops.

"Well Grant and I were going to offer up our help setting up." He said, completely unaffected by my accidental rejection.

"Oh, that's oka-" I started to say hurriedly, but he cut me off.

"I'm not sure if you have a lot of experience with throwing rager high school parties, but it's not just one of those things where you can put out a bowl of chips and call it a day. Trust me Gallagher Girl, you need my help." And with that, he entered the cafeteria doors and I was left thinking that this party was going to be a lot more trouble than it was worth.

* * *

><p>I told Bex and her friend Liz to come over directly after school. I didn't want to risk another awkward one on one confrontation with Zach. Knowing him, he would probably show up when I was least expecting it. I felt like I needed to be constantly on my guard.<p>

"Paranoid…" Bex sang as I glanced over my shoulder yet again. I had been jumpy from the second we stepped foot into the house.

"Like we haven't seen you glimpse at the door every time there's tiniest sound." I scoffed at her.

"Looking for Grant?" Liz asked, walking back into the room with a bowl of popcorn for us while we cleared the living room of furniture.

Bex glared at her. "I have a bunch of speakers from my apartment in New York that I have nowhere to put." I said, changing topic. "The moving people put them up in the attic. I'm not sure how to get them back down- they're pretty huge."

"Sounds like you girls could use some muscle." Grant said, apparently appearing out of thin air, Zach close behind.

"Where did- how did you… when…?" I stumbled over my words, much to the boy's amusement. Grant dangled a key on his finger.

"Your mom gave my mom a spare key yesterday." I narrowed my eyes and tried to grab the key, not happy with the fact that Grant (and Zach, since they apparently came in a pair) could walk into my house whenever they feel like it. He pulled it away and tossed it to Zach before I could get a hold on it.

Zach put the key back into his pocket. "Nope. This is mine now Gallagher Girl."

I resisted the urge to growl at him. "Zach. It's my house. I'm the one who decides who gets a key."

He held his hand to his chest in dramatic mock-hurt. "Why wouldn't you want me in your house? I believe I really add to the decor." Jesus, someone really needs to take this kid's ego down a few notches.

"Fine then. Bex and Grant, go upstairs to get the stereos, Liz and I will go set up the table for food. Zach, you can just stand there and 'add to the décor'. Try not to break anything." And with that, I left the room before Zach could get in so much as another self-conceited smirk.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

This was a bad idea. I knew this was a bad idea. There is no way I'll be able to clean up all this before my mother gets home.

I literally think that Tina invited the whole grade. There have to be at least a hundred fifty people in my house right now. I can't keep track of everyone- I've had to tell people not to play catch with my lamp, not to put their drinks on the flat screen, and not to sit on top of the baby grand piano. Maybe I was just expecting too much of people, but I feel like those things should be fairly self-explanatory. And to top it all off, some idiot brought beer. So now it wasn't just a party, but a _keg _party. I swear to god, if I find throw up anywhere in my house tomorrow, I will hold Bex personally responsible for it.

The only silver lining to this cloud was that I haven't seen Zach all night. I don't think I could deal with him in addition to everything else.

"Hey! Put those back!" I yelled at a guy who was attempting to juggle with some glass balls my mom had sitting in various bowls around the house.

"Calm down baby." Some dude purred into my ear, groping me from behind. "Relax. Have a drink." He said, offering me a suspicious looking red plastic cup.

"Ugh." I said, pushing the drunk guy off of me. I don't drink- I've just generally found that it makes people stupider. Or at least, it makes smart people do stupid things. I don't really see the appeal.

I made my way through the massive crowd of people and managed to get up the stairs and turn down the hall to go to my room. I don't remember closing my door. I opened it to find two people in the middle of what looked to be a heavy-petting-combined-with-making-out session. I squealed and shielded my eyes. "Get out! This is my room! _Get out_!" I repeated until the couple finally left.

After they exited, I stood there for a while, disgusted. I just washed these sheets too. I sat down gingerly on the end of the bed and put my head in my hands. I miss New York. Everything made so much more sense there. The pounding music from downstairs was giving me a headache.

"Gallagher Girl?" _No, no, no, no, no, no, no._ That's the last person I want to see right now. Maybe if I just ignore him, he'll go away.

Wrong. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to me. I lifted my head up so that I could look into his piercing green gaze. "What do you want Zach?"

He inspected me carefully for a few seconds before responding. "Do you want to get out of here?" He asked.

Actually, that sounded perfect right now, but I couldn't tell _him _that. "I can't… My house…"

He waved his hand dismissively before pulling me by my hand out the door. "Grant will take care of it." Before I could protest more, he was weaving me through the crowd of people like it was _his _home and not mine.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked as I put my seatbelt on.

He shrugged as if he hadn't given it much thought. "How 'bout coffee?"

My eyes lit up. "Okay." I nodded eagerly. "There's a Starbucks down the street."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking you to _Starbucks_. If we're going to get coffee, there's only one place in Roseville that's acceptable." I looked at him doubtfully. I have tried almost every little coffee shop in New York and have come to the conclusion that nothing beats a cup of Starbucks coffee. I highly doubt that some little small town café is going to undermine my years worth of research.

Zach saw my look out of his peripheral vision. "Trust me Gallagher Girl. You haven't tried coffee until you've tried Roseville coffee." He said with a smirk.

We pulled into what looked like the town square or something. It was surprisingly deserted for a Friday night. Then again, everything in this town seemed empty compared to New York. "What do people do in this place after dark?" I asked as he parked and went to open my door for me.

He thought for a second. "Sleep," He concluded. "…And trash your house, apparently." He added with a wicked grin.

I rolled my eyes. "You're hilarious." I said dryly.

We approached a little purple restaurant with a few chairs outside. When we walked in the little bell on the door rang. We were the only people in the café, except for a silver-haired old woman.

"Two coffees please," Zach said with his ever-charming smile, sitting down at a two person table. We were silent as she made the coffee for us.

The woman smiled at us as she put the coffee down on the table. "You two are a very cute couple." She complimented.

"Oh! We aren't-" I said quickly, but Zach interrupted me, taking my hand in his.

"Thank you." He said, grin plastered on his face. I waited until the woman walked back into the kitchen to pull my hand out of his.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him.

He casually leaned back and spread his arms out around him. "In case you haven't noticed Gallagher Girl, this is a _date_." He informed me.

I opened and closed my mouth stupidly, trying to remember when that was established. Surely I am not on a date with Zach Goode? "It's not a date if I pay." I said hurriedly.

He smirked. "Do you even have money with you?"

I felt my pockets- nothing, not even a cent. I left my purse at home in the rush to leave the mob scene. I slumped down in my seat. "It's not a date." I said stubbornly.

He shook his head. "It's too late now Gallagher Girl. The only thing left to do…" He leaned forward as if his words contained state secrets. "is _enjoy it_."

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><p><strong>AN: Yay another chapter! Sorry for the slow update :( Please review and give me your ideas!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Zach wasn't in school Monday morning, I wasn't all that worried. In fact, I'd say I was slightly relieved- it gave me some time to think- without him interfering all the time with his overall Greek-god-ness.

Tuesday, I was a little disappointed, I'll admit. Maybe I was beginning to look forward to his annoyingness. Sue me.

Wednesday he didn't show up and I was downright concerned. It didn't help that there was absolutely nothing I could do. I didn't have his phone number, didn't know where he lived, and the only person I knew well enough at this school yet to ask is Bex. I don't even want to imagine how _that_ conversation would go. She's already hell-bent on the idea of us getting together.

Which is the exact reason I didn't tell her about our not-a-date on Friday. Because it wasn't a date. It was just Zach being Zach. I'm the new girl- the shiny new toy that everyone wants to play with. Zach will get tired of me soon enough.

"Cammie, hey Cammie!" Grant's voice rang out over the cafeteria. I had been walking over to my usual table with Bex and Liz. When Bex saw who was calling me, she shot me a confused look.

"Yeah Grant?" I asked suspiciously as he grinned the 'Grant-smile' at me.

"Why don't you sit with us today?" He asked, gesturing to a table of jocks and cheerleaders.

"Err, I don't-" I started to explain before I was cut off.

"She was coming to sit with us." Bex's distinct accent explained for me as she approached me from behind with Liz in tow.

Grant was unfazed. "Ha! You're in high demand, huh Cam?" I gave him a self-deprecating smile. "Why don't all three of you come sit with us?" He suggested, making the decision for us by walking off before we had any chance to protest.

Bex looked cautiously happy. I tried to look on the bright side. Yes, on one hand, we were sitting with Tina Walters and her gossiping band of brainless bimbos, whom I have already learned to dislike within the first week of the new school. On the other hand, Bex was happy. Which meant I wasn't going to die today. By her hand, at least. Tina might just talk so much that my brain starts to bleed. In fact, that was what she was doing now.

"So Cammie, like, of all the stores in New York, which one is your favorite?" I'm assuming it was not intended for this question to be rhetorical, but the fact that she was talking faster than the speed of light prevented me from answering anyway. "My favorite is totally Cartiers. My boyfriend bought me a necklace from there for my birthday. It was like, _really_ thoughtful of him, you know?"

"What boyfriend would that be Tina?" Bex interrupted, taking a bite of her hamburger. "The fake one?"

Grant choked back laughter as Tina and her clones all gave Bex the death eye, simultaneously strutting off like the little overrated peacocks they were. "Thank goodness." Liz breathed, pushing her glasses a little further up the bridge of her nose. "I swear, if I had to listen to her grammatically incorrect ramblings any longer, I was going to burst."

"While we're on the topic of stupidity, where are all your jock buddies, Grant?" Bex asked conversationally. Oh, Bex. I had to urge to do a face-palm at the moment. I have to remember to remind her later that when you are trying to endear yourself to your crush, not to refer to his friends as stupid.

Grant wasn't offended though. I'm pretty sure it took a lot to get a rise out of that boy. "They're probably out at practice. I wouldn't know. I'm _skipping_." He grinned, seemingly proud of this fact.

I picked at my sandwich, trying to look nonchalant. "So… where's Zach?" I didn't look up, knowing full well it would only result in me meeting the knowing gaze of Bex.

Grant held up a finger, using his other hand to rummage around in the packet of his jacket, pulling out a folded up piece of notebook paper. He handed me said mysterious paper.

"And this is for…?" I prompted, expecting him to give me some explanation.

"Zach told me to give that to you when you asked about him." He shrugged as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

The wording of that sentence threw me off. _When _I asked about him. Not _If. When._ Conclusion- Zach Goode is a cocky idiot.

I almost considered not opening it. Just to throw Zach off. But my curiosity got the best of me, and before I knew it I was unfolding the dang paper.

_You were worried about me Gallagher Girl? Aw, how cute. –Zach_

That was all it said. Well, no, not really. Underneath, he had written his number. But that wasn't the point of the note, I'm sure of it.

The point of the note was for him to get the last word. And I couldn't say anything witty in retaliation because _he wasn't here_. Conclusion- Zach Goode is a cocky idiot who doesn't play fair.

"What does it say?" Bex asked, her eyes eager and bright. Even Liz looked mildly interested.

"Oh, you know… just his email. So I could send him the English notes." I lied easily, returning to my lunch and stuffing the note into my pocket. Bex seemed pacified and went back to talking with Grant.

The note had been classically Zach- vague, mocking, and infuriating. It had not, however, told me where he was. I realized that was what the number on the bottom was for. It was a challenge. Either curiosity got the best of me and I called, conceding to what he wanted, or I held strong and tried to wait him out.

Well, two can play at that game. I decided that I _would not_ under _any circumstances_ call that number and loose his game, petty as it was.

But I couldn't help it. Sitting at home trying to do my Calculus homework that night, I could practically feel the note burning a hole through my pocket. I swear, it was calling to me.

In the end, I think it was the boredom that had me shamefully dialing the number into my cell phone. "Hello?" His baritone voice answered.

Conclusion- Zach Goode is my kryptonite.

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah, sorry about the lack of Zach in this chapter. He came in indirectly though, so… review? Please?**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Hello?"

"Zach?"

"Gallagher Girl! I was wondering how long it was going to take you to call."

"What the heck Zach? A note? Really? What is this, the Victorian Era?"

"Well, technically in the Victorian Era, secret notes were a form of courtship, so…"

I wish he could see my eye roll through the phone. "Well Romeo, did your letter serve another purpose other than to annoy me?"

"Nope, not really." He said cheerfully.

"Where are you Zach? Why aren't you in school?" I sighed.

"Why does it matter?"

"Just tell me already." I told him, my patience beginning to wear thin.

"Tell me why it matters and I'll let you know."

Like I'm ever going to admit to _that_. "Goodbye, Zach." I said.

"So stubborn, Gallagher Girl." Were the last words he got in before I pulled the phone away from my face and snapped it shut.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my wavy blonde hair, the frustration and curiosity I had expected to be eliminated with the phone call only multiplied tenfold. There was a ding on my computer and I looked up to see a Skype invitation from Macey. Thank God. She always knows how to deal with this kind of crap.

I accepted the call and she popped up on the screen. She took one look at my stressed out face and smirked. "Okay, what is it this time? Boy drama or girl drama?"

I groaned and lowered my forehead onto the keyboard. "The first one."

She grinned. "Oooh, yay- my favorite kind! Tell me all about it." She said, whipping out the ever-present nail file.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself. "Well-" I started, only to be cut off by a small _plink_ noise at my window. I could tell Macey was waiting for me to keep talking, but I held up a finger and sure enough, there it was again. _Plink._

"I… I think someone's at my window." I whispered to Macey. Her eyebrows shot up her forehead and her grin became devious.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go see who it is!"

I got up and shuffled to the window in my slippers. "Cammie!" Someone whispered from outside. It was dark, I couldn't see who it was. "Open up!"

"Who is it?" I whispered back.

"It's Grant! I need to talk to you… I need your help." Okay… color me confused.

"Hold on a minute." I told him, rushing back over to the computer where Macey was waiting most impatiently.

"Who is it! Is it boy drama boy? The one you were going to tell me about? Oh my gosh, that's so cute- he came to your window." She squealed.

I shook my head. "No, it's not him. It's not boy drama either. At least… I really hope not." Oh god… if Grant liked me… I mean _like_ liked me… How would I deal with that? I mean really, what other business does a boy have at a girl's window at ten pm on a Wednesday night? "Alright, you need to go." I told Macey, beginning to move my mouse over to minimize her off the screen.

"Cammie Morgan don't you dare!" She screeched, stopping my movements. "Just turn your computer around and leave the webcam on. I'll be quiet, I promise. I just want to see the show." She pouted.

I huffed. "Fine. But not a peep, okay?" I told her as I moved the screen around.

I quickly ran to open the window just as Grant hopped in.

"Thanks." He said as I closed it behind him. I crossed my arms over my chest as he shoved his hands in his pockets, rocked back and forth on his heels, and said nothing. Well, this is awkward. I finally couldn't take it anymore and broke the silence.

"Why are you here?" I asked, at the same time he said "I need help with Bex."

I was relieved. Thank goodness, he didn't have a crush on me. Then I was confused. Did he just say Bex? "Wait, Bex?" I asked, uncrossing my arms.

"Yeah." He breathed, breaking his tense posture as well and running his hands through his hair as he sat down on the edge of my bed. "I like her. I really like her. But she doesn't even notice me!" Oh, the irony.

"So let me get this straight," I said, tapping my fingers on the wood of the desk. "You came to _one_ girl's house _through her window… at night…_ to ask her about _another_ girl?" I clarified, having fun messing with him.

His eyes widened at my words, and he stood back up. "Oh, crap Cammie! I didn't mean it like that. I swear. I mean, you're a great girl and everything, but I just-" My laughter must have cut him off.

"Grant, it's okay." I said between laughs. "I'm just screwing with you."

"Oh, okay." He sighed in relief, sitting back down. "But seriously, I try to talk to her and I end up sounding stupid! Then I tried to be badass and stuff like she is by skipping practice and she wasn't even impressed! She likes you though, so how did _you_ do it?" He asked, genuinely perplexed.

I snorted at his definition of badass. "Why don't you just try talking to her? Bex can be pretty nice when she wants to be. Ask her out. You know, on a date? She might surprise you." I told him.

"A date?" He asked.

"Yes," I said slowly. "A date. It normally consists of dinner and a movie, and if you're lucky a good night kiss." I explained.

"Right." He nodded in determination. "A date. I can do this. Thanks Cam!" He told me before climbing back out the window.

I shut the window and went over to the computer again. Macey had already given up trying to hold in her laugher the second Grant was out of the room. "See, this is one of the bad things about living in an apartment." She said. "Crazy boys can't climb in your window at night and entertain the crap out of you."

I smirked. "Yeah, but that's what fire escapes are for, right?" I reminded her.

She snorted. "Oh, please. Preston wouldn't touch one of those with a ten foot pole. He has no sense of romance." I laughed at the mental image of Preston Winters, her boyfriend, in his neatly pressed suit climbing up her fire escape.

"I got to go Mace, I'll tell you about my boy drama tomorrow, okay?" I said, realizing it was already eleven o'clock.

"Okay, hon. Bye, love you!" She said before turning off her monitor.

Before I fell asleep a few minutes later lying in bed, I wondered idly if Zach would be in school tomorrow morning.

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><p><strong>AN: Aw… Grant is adorable. He's one of my favorite characters to write. I actually have some ideas as to where this story might be going now, so the chapters might come a little quicker. But I'm still very much welcoming to anyone who has input. Thanks for the support- please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

He was in school. Every time I would make eye contact with him in the hallway, he would smirk. I was dreading lunch, where I was sure he would rub his success in my face. I _still_ didn't know where he disappeared to.

At the same time he came back, a new kid showed up. I'm sure that tiny Roseville High was working itself into a tizzy with all the new faces. First me, now him- they probably didn't know what to do with themselves.

Countless rumors were flying around about him- so many it was tough to keep track of them all. A couple things remained consistent through all of them however- His name was Nick, he was from Boston, he was attractive enough that all the girls were whispering about him, but he was also… different. One glance at him in the hall was all I needed to confirm that rumor- yes he certainly was different.

Different for Roseville, at least. I lived in New York City- I've met some eclectic people, and Nick wasn't too unlike them. One of his arms had a sleeve of tattoos that was easily visible under his white t-shirt. From what I saw, he had a lip ring and one earring, but Bex claimed she had seen an eyebrow ring upon further inspection. His black military-crew-cut styled hair made him very intimidating looking.

"I heard he just got out of Juvie." Liz whispered as we took our usual seating right before lunch started.

"Just because he looks scary doesn't mean he's a criminal." I pointed out, wondering simultaneously what people had said about me on the first day. The cafeteria silenced and I figured that meant Nick had just walked in. Having been in his exact shoes less than two weeks before, I sympathized with him.

I felt even _worse_ for him as Tina Walters walked up to perform what I now assumed was the new-kid-humiliation tradition. "So, Nick, right?" She started off as everyone in the lunch room literally hung on her every single word. He just stared at the cheerleader in front of him like she had three heads.

Tina squirmed a little under his gaze, but continued her inquisition despite his lack of a response. "Is it, um, true that you came here because your parents kicked you out after you stole their car? And that you were in a gang back in Boston?" She spewed out, sounding a little bit nervous.

What the heck? Those were _way_ worse than my questions. Making a rash decision, I pushed out of my chair and walked up to them. "Leave him _alone_, Tina. You can come sit with us if you want Nick." I offered. I then turned to address the high-school audience. "Chill out! There's nothing to see here."

I led Nick back to our table, pretending not to notice the horrified looks I was getting from Bex and Liz. "So Nick," I said, after he had sat down. "Tell us about yourself."

"Well I'm not coming here from jail, if that's what you were wondering." When Liz said this, Liz flushed tomato-red. I cringed internally for what might as well have been a gigantic "guilty" stamped on her forehead.

"We pretty much know to assume that if it comes out of Tina's mouth, it's a lie so…"

This got an almost-smile out of him. "I got kicked out of Blackthorne. It's a military school."

I raised my eyebrows. That was actually a lot more interesting than Juvie. And it explains the haircut. "What did you do?" I prodded, curious.

He grinned, reminiscing. "I took the Headmaster's car for a joy ride… into the lake."

"Sweet." I grinned back. "Oh, and don't worry about Tina. I got the same song and dance about a week ago, when I got here." I consoled him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? You wouldn't be Cammie, would you?"

"Um, yeah, that's me. How do you know my name?" I asked, confused.

He shrugged. "My cousin talked about you."

Ugh. Why do I feel like I know _exactly_ who his cousin is? My suspicions were confirmed when the aforementioned cousin came up from behind and clapped him on the back.

"Hey, you've met my Gallagher Girl!" Zach commented.

Grant came up close behind, looking nervous. I gave him a reassuring look, knowing that he was about to take my advice on approaching Bex. "Hey, Bex! Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked.

In a very un-Bex-like fashion, she blushed and nodded, getting up and following him out to the hallway. Zach quickly took Bex's vacated seat, helping himself to my French fries.

"So," He started. "Now that we're dating-"

"What? No we aren't!" I hissed, unable to help the traitorous blush that I felt creeping up my neck and face.

"You mean no one knows yet?" He raised his eyebrows. He turned around in his chair, and what he did next will forever haunt me. "Tina!" He called across the cafeteria until she turned around from talking to her perfectly glossed clones. "Cammie and I are dating." He stated simply before turning back around with a smug look on his face.

She let out a little squeal and turned back around. I gasped. "Tina! No we are not!" I tried to tell her, but it was too late- the damage was done.

Zach was grinning proudly. "There, now you don't have to deny it anymore. Are you going to the game Friday night?" I just opened and closed my mouth stupidly, my mind unable to keep up with his actions.

"Yes, of course she is." Liz piped in, answering for me.

"Good!" He exclaimed, getting up and eating the last of _my_ fries. "See you there, Gallagher Girl." He left, Nick going with him.

I groaned and lowered my forehead onto the table. "What am I going to _do, _Liz?" I asked.

She giggled, not the answer I was hoping for. "Why do anything? The way I see it, when you've got a guy like Zach Good jumping through hoops to try and get you to go out with him, it isn't a problem. Besides, you like him- don't fight it."

My head shot up. "I do not like him!" I protested.

She just gave a small smile and shrugged, going back to her food without argument. Bex didn't come back to lunch, but I saw her in my next class. She looked a little bit flushed and upset, but I didn't have a chance to ask her what happened before Mr. Solomon came in and class started. I made a mental note to ask Grant how it went as soon as I got home, seeing as he looked a little more downcast than usual as well.

Most importantly, I made a mental note to prepare myself for Friday. Something told me that I have merely scratched the surface of Zach's flirtatious games. If our… _relationship_… was a game of poker, then he certainly hasn't played his ace yet.

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><p><strong>AN: There you have it. Nick's character is kind of awesome, not gonna lie. I'm really looking forward to having fun with him in future chapters. I was determined to get this chapter out by tonight. I did it! Review? Give me your suggestions- I could really use them! So far, I basically only have things planned out like, one chapter in advance. Thanks to everyone who reads :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is dedicated to soccer101ma, and her very persuasive review. :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 9<span>

After a much-needed pep talk with Macey that night, I sat back down to my desk and tried to get some studying done. Only to be interrupted, yet again, by the sound of knocking on my window. I was a little more prepared for it this time, however.

"Is this going to be a regular thing?" I asked as I helped Grant to climb in. "Because they have this really cool new invention, called a cell phone…" I trailed off.

"I'm really sorry Cammie…" He pulled at his hair in frustration. "I just- I need advice!" He exclaimed, deflating into the chair.

I couldn't help but feel bad for him. He was like a little golden retriever puppy. "What happened?" I consoled, patting him on the back awkwardly.

"Well, I mean, I tried to do what Zach told me to, but then-" I put a hand up to stop him.

"Hold on, hold on… you followed _Zach's_ advice?" He nodded. I snorted. "Well that explains a lot. Continue…"

"Okay, um. well I ask her if she wanted to-" This time it wasn't me who cut him off, but a ding on my computer.

"Hold that thought." I told him, walking over to the computer to see who it was.

Video chat invitation from Bex. Euugh, crap.

"Okay, you need to go." I said to Grant, practically shoving him out the window.

"What? Why? Who was that?"

"Bex! She wants to video chat!" I explained quickly. He stopped moving towards the window, suddenly rooted in his place.

"Well then I have to stay here!" He said frantically.

"Huh? No, you have to leave! What if she talks about you?"

"_Exactly_. I want to hear if she says something about me." He stated as if it were obvious. "I'll just hide in your closet so she can't see me."

I gaped at him. "Um, _no_. That goes against basically every morally correct bone in my body. How would you like it if Bex could hear all _our_ conversations?" He blushed. "Exactly." I said smugly.

"I'm not going to have enough time to push you out the window now…" I muttered to myself. "Here." I ushered him out into the dimly lit hallway. "I'll let you back in when we're finished." I whispered to him as I closed the door.

I hurried back over to the computer and quickly accepted the call. "Hey Bex, what's up?"

"You will _never guess_ what happened to me today!" She lamented, in substitute for a usual greeting. Actually Bex, I'm pretty sure I know what happened to you today.

"What happened?" I asked, trying my best to sound intrigued.

"Grant asked me out." She groaned, burying her face in her hands. I waited for her to continue, but jumped right in when she failed to.

"And? Why do you sound so upset? This is a good thing, right?"

She shook her head. "It was, but… I totally screwed it up." She hung her head in shame.

"What _happened_?" I echoed again.

"Well, he was really sweet, but… I- I just froze. I didn't know what to say to him! I just kind of muttered something about going to class and ran away. Ugh, he must think I'm a bloody idiot." She explained ruefully.

I tried to contradict her, but she wasn't finished yet. "I mean, it seems a little strange, doesn't it? He doesn't even _notice_ me for _years_, then all of the sudden he wants to go out with me? Maybe it's a prank? Do you know he used to date _Tina_? They went out for like, three months." Okay, this is news. I will definitely be having words with Grant on the subject of Tina Walters.

Bex took a second to actually breathe, and I gratefully accepted the opportunity to have my say. "Okay Bex, first of all, he does not think you're stupid. Second of all, do you really think Grant is capable of pulling a prank like that? I mean really, from what I've seen of him he has neither the cunning nor a large enough capacity for meanness to do something like that. You just need to _calm down_."

Bex took a few deep breaths and I could see that my reassuring words were having the desired effect. "Good. Now I'm sure whatever happened wasn't irreversible. Why don't _you_ try asking _him_ out?" I suggested, already expecting that the idea would be ill received.

"No! I can't do that. I've already made myself look stupid enough…" God, I wish Macey was here. It there was one thing she could do, it's slap some sense into girls with boy problems.

"Trust me Bex. You hurt his ego. He's not gonna come up to you again on his own accord. If you ask him out though, he'll say yes. Guaranteed." She still looked unsure.

"Well, I mean… where will I take him? Where will we go on the date?" I racked my brains. As far as knowledge about the hot dating scenes for Roseville went, I was clueless.

"Um, isn't there a football game Friday? Ask him out after that. There's got to be an after party or something…"

She clapped her hands together, happy with my suggestion. "That's _perfect_ Cam! I got to go, but thanks so much. See you tomorrow." She ended the Skype chat before I could even get in a quick goodbye. I sighed. This would be an interesting game tomorrow. With Zach, Nick, and now Bex and Grant to add to the mixture…

Oh crap! Grant! I totally forgot about him. I got up from my desk and rushed over to my bedroom door, opening it only to find _no Grant_. This was bad.

"Grant?" I whisper-hissed into the hallway. Someone really needs to get this boy a leash. I heard laughter coming from downstairs. I followed the noise into the kitchen.

There sat Grant and my mother, laughing at opposite ends of the kitchen table like they were old book-club buddies or something. Oh man. This was _very_ bad.

"Oh hi honey!" My mom exclaimed.

"Mom." I nodded cordially. "…Grant." I repeated the gesture.

"I was just doing laundry and _imagine my surprise_ when I find this charming young man standing outside my daughter's bedroom door." She said happily. Oh, so very bad.

Grant laughed, oblivious. "Yeah, sorry about that Ms. Morgan. I got to go though. Got a game tomorrow." He said, standing up.

"Of course Grant, you're welcome back any time." My mom said with her fake politeness intact. The front door closed behind him, and with it, her good mood.

"You are _so_ lucky he was fully clothed Cameron." She said, crossing her arms.

"Mom!" What followed was a very… erm, _enlightening_, while highly unnecessary talk with my mother. Let's just say it is now locked deep inside the recesses of my brain with the key thrown away.

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><p><strong>AN: The football game is where it's all going down, people. Thank you for all the reviews, you're all so nice and patient with me! Have a good Christmas/holiday guys- I'll try to update again before I go back to school. Review?**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Who are they playing today?" I asked, pulling my coat a little tighter around myself. It's Virginia, isn't it supposed to be warm here? I mean, it's November, but it still should be warm, right? Eh, whatever. Don't mind me, I'm just an ignorant New Yorker.

"North Stafford High… I think." Liz said, pulling a crumpled flyer out of her coat pocket and looking at it for confirmation. "Yup! North Stafford."

"Mmkay, and are they any good?" I asked rubbing my hands around my warm coffee. And _yes_, before you ask… it is coffee from that little shop in town that Zach showed me. They are better than Starbucks. Not that I will _ever_ admit that to Zach, but that little shop has now officially made its mark as the keeper of my favorite new cup of coffee.

"Yeah, unfortunately. They won the championship game last year. We haven't won to them in about a decade, apparently. They're our rival school." Bex explained. Tina and the other cheerleaders ran by us in their less-than-appropriate uniforms as we navigated our way up the bleachers.

"Is _our_ team any good?" I'm not really so into this whole "southern football craze" thing. In New York I was always more of a lacrosse girl.

"We're… adequate. I mean, we're a lot better this year than we have been in past years. All of the senior players graduated, so now our team is made up mostly of juniors." Liz said.

We took our seats on the cold, metal stands. I strained my eyes to see either Grant or Zach on the field, but it was too hard to determine who was who when they all had similar uniforms. "Hey, can I sit here?" A male voice asked. I turned around to see Nick standing over the open spot next to me.

"Go ahead. Why are you not out there on the field with them?" I asked, scooting over to make space for him.

"Well, coupled with the fact that I just got here _yesterday_… I think I would shoot myself in the foot before I play football." He said as I took a gulp of my coffee, causing me to choke with the effort of not laughing.

"Wow, um. Very intense statement right there. Care to explain?"

He grinned his white, straight teeth at me and I saw his lip ring glint in the fading sun. "My dad played football. Consequently, I happen to hate it."

"Hm, rebellious. I like it." I approved, nodding my head at him.

Bex was literally bouncing up and down next to me. It was getting unnerving. "What are you doing?" I hissed at her as the ball was kicked through the goal posts.

"I'm sorry Cam, I just can't help it. I'm really _really _nervous." She said as she substituted her bouncing for a simple jiggling of the knee.

"Have you decided how you're going to ask him yet?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go talk to him at the after-party, I guess." She said, not sounding entirely convincing.

"The after-party? But that's going to be hectic! What if you can't find him? Maybe you should just go talk to him before." I suggested logically.

She bit her lip, torn. "I… but where would I go?"

Liz chose this point to put in her two cents. "They go to the locker room after the game." Bex seemed to agree, although reluctantly.

We all talked during the remainder of the game. Nick informed me at the times when I was supposed to cheer. I may have been a cheerleader, but I pride myself on my complete _lack_ of football knowledge. Apparently, we won.

Bex stood up and I could tell how nervous she was by her expression. "You want me to come with you?" I offered. Immediately, relief seemed to wash over her.

"Could you? Please?"

I nodded and we both walked down the bleachers together. We got to the entrance, only to find that the cheerleaders were blocking the way. Tina stood there like a bouncer barricading the door to a club. "Where are _you_ going?" She asked.

Bex rolled her eyes. "Just calm down, Tina. We need to get into the locker room."

She sneered at us. "Only _cheerleaders_ and the _players_ are allowed in the locker room during the game."

Bex wasn't standing for it. "That's a load of bull. Let us in." She demanded, forcefully pushing past her twig-like body. I followed. Tina looked offended, but made no move to stop us.

We pushed open the double doors and what lay before us was a sight to behold. Half-dressed teenage boys stood around lockers, yelling rambunctiously and throwing things in the air. Some stood on top of chairs, some were taking off layers and layers of protective pads, and some literally just ran around yelling victoriously and banging on lockers. But they all had one thing in common. They were all _loud_. So, very _loud_.

"Are you going to go talk to him or not? If not I'm getting out of here." I hissed to Bex, not even sure she could hear me over all the ruckus.

She didn't need to make a decision, because Grant showed up, wearing an undershirt and the regulation football pants. He didn't seem to notice Bex yet as he sat on the wooden bench that ran in the middle of the two lines of lockers so that he could lace up his cleats. I gave Bex a little nudge and then a nod of encouragement as she looked back hesitantly.

I fell back a little bit, only just enough that I could hear their conversation but still remain unnoticed. I saw, rather than heard, Bex clear her throat. "Grant?" She asked.

He looked up and his expression was _priceless_. His eyes widened and he literally almost fell of the chair. I kid you not. Boy has got it _bad_. "B-bex! Why are you in here? I didn't think girls were allowed in here!" He seemed to realize that his words could be potentially taken as offensive, and he nervously stood up, running his hand through his hair, something I've come to recognize as his nervous tick. "Not- not that I don't want you here, it's just, y-you surprised me and I wasn't expecting it, and I don't really know why you would talk to me after how stupid I sounded a couple days ago whe-"

And that was all the rambling he got in before Bex stood up on her toes and pulled his head down to her level, kissing him full on the mouth. Grant took a couple of surprised seconds to react, finally wrapping his large arms around her waist and pulling her closer. The football team noticed the public display of affection and changed their general noise-making so that it was now directed towards them. Cheering and obnoxious catcalls filled the air and Bex (having not yet come up for air) took one hand out from Grant's hair so she could flip them off.

I giggled, and then tried to surreptitiously make my way out of the locker room, seeing as my presence was no longer required for moral support. But then I was stopped. "Going so soon Gallagher Girl?"

I knew the voice could only belong to one person, but I looked anyway out of instinct. A few feet behind me, Zach stood leaning one shoulder against a door frame, regarding me casually. I could tell he had just gotten out of the shower by his wet hair that had clearly been brushed with nothing more than his fingers and the little beads of water that covered his entire body. Also by the fact that he was wearing nothing more than a towel.

Yes, you heard me correctly.

A _towel._

My life just got a whole lot more complicated.

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><p><strong>AN: Remember how I said I would update before break? Yeah, well that was mere wishful thinking, apparently. But anyway, here you go. Enjoy. I think this is possibly the meanest cliffy I have ever written. I give you a half-naked Zach, and then just leave you there. And to make matters worse, I have exams next week, so I'm just going to leave you dangling on the edge of this cliff for a week and a half, at least. Sorry 'bout that. Review anyway? **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When I'm nervous, I cough. It's something I discovered from a very young age, when I had my first ballet recital and I coughed throughout almost the whole performance. It's pretty embarrassing.

Right now, for example, it probably sounds like I'm dying of tuberculosis. I coughed three times as my eyes drifted over his basically-naked figure. He was built like a movie star; his body was chiseled and sharp. My gaze abruptly stopped at his too-perfect-to-be-true abs, as I found myself unable to stop staring at them. Zach snapped his finger at me couple of times, breaking my trance. "Hey. Eyes up here." He teased mercilessly.

"Zach," cough "Put some" cough cough "clothes on." I demanded, trying to shield my eyes, my innocence, and my flaming red blush.

"Why? Do I make you nervous?" He asked, taking another step closer to me.

"I- Yes! I mean no! I mean… get dressed!" I said desperately, backing up until he had me trapped between a locker and his body. He laughed.

"You know, you're pretty cute like this…" He said as his hand drifted lightly over my crimson cheek while I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. "All flustered and fidgety. I could get used to it."

I could feel him take a step back but I kept my eyes tightly shut. "I'm leaving. You can open your eyes now." He said, amusement evident. By the time I blinked my eyes open again, he was gone.

Immediately, I searched for the nearest exit. I have had enough of naked boys for one day. Scratch that, I have had enough of naked boys for a good decade, at least. Maybe I'll just have to rethink this whole "becoming a nun" thing.

I snuck out the way through which I came, moving around the corner so quickly I collided full-on with another person. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, helping the unknown person up.

Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be Nick. "S'okay. No blood no foul, right?" He said, brushing himself off and quirking a half-smile at me. "Any particular reason you were running out of the locker room, though?"

"No… I mean…" I coughed. No surprises there.

He shrugged, unconcerned. "Well anyway, I was sent down here to ask you if you needed a ride to the after party. Your friend already left." He explained.

I thought about it for a minute. Liz is gone and she and Bex were my ride. I _could_ still catch a ride with Bex, but I'm assuming that she'll be hell-bent on not leaving Grant's side all night… I have no desire to get in a car with those two.

"That would be great, actually." I said, smiling. We walked together towards the parking lot. We drove about ten or fifteen minutes in his fairly modest old truck. It was a bit of an anomaly- a city kid with piercings who only wears black owns a flat bed pickup truck straight from a Louisiana farm. That's irony right there.

Nick stopped in front of an obnoxiously large white house… and by house I mean mansion. And by mansion, I mean modern-day Georgia plantation. And here I was thinking _I_ was well off. "Who the hell lives _here_?" I asked bluntly as he pulled up the driveway that was near a half a mile long.

Nick smirked. "_I _live here, along with Zach. Welcome to the Goode household." He said with blatant sarcasm, spreading his arms around in a self-deprecating manner. Dozens of my classmates already milled about the front lawn holding tell-tale red cups. Light spilled from outside the house past the unoriginal white pillars- hardly the newest statement in Southern architecture. The bass beat from the music pumped loudly from what had to be thousands of dollars worth of speakers, making the entire ground vibrate. To be frank, it made my party look about as exciting as a funeral.

"Oh. My god." I stated, disbelieving. "How… _How_! This is crazy." I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah," Nick agreed shaking his head and mussing up his hair with one hand sheepishly. "Zach takes these parties really seriously. As the quarterback, he feels obligated to throw every post game party. In his opinion, if it isn't a party that people talk about for the rest of their lives, then it's an off-day for him." Nick explained with a brief roll of his eyes.

"Don't his parents care?" I know my mom would have a coronary if she ever found out I was even _attending_ a party like this, much less throwing one.

Nick raised an eyebrow, as if he were wondering how I didn't already know this. "His parents are in Boston with my parents, being big-shot lawyers like they always wanted."

"Oh." I said softly. I had never realized… I mean, I had always complained how my mom was always on business trips, leaving me alone for the weekend. I had never known that Zach had it much worse.

"Where is Zach?" I asked, trying to sound casual as we approached the house, passing several couples in the bushes along the way. Classy.

Nick shrugged. "From what I've been told he doesn't usually show up until the place is in full swing."

I rolled my eyes. What a typical Zach power-move. _Oh, I'm too cool to even show up to my own party_.

"You want a drink?" Nick yelled over the music. I'm honestly not a party person. I could practically feel the rhythmic beat of the bass giving me a massive headache already.

"Yeah! Where is the kitchen?" I asked him.

"C'mere." He said, grabbing my hand and leading me through the pulsing crowd. He pushed through a pair of swinging double doors and pulled me in. The noise was slightly muffled in here. "What would you like?" He asked, opening the fridge and rattling off my options. "We have beer, soda, water- whatever you want basically. Name it we've got it."

"I don't drink. Some water would be nice though."

He tossed me a cold water bottle as he grabbed a soda out for himself. My phone rang and I set my drink down on the granite countertop so I could answer it. "Hello?" I said, pressing it into my ear so I could hear over the dulled, yet still powerful surround-sound music.

"Cammie Morgan! You have not called me in _twenty four whole hours_. This is unacceptable!" Macey yelled into my ear so loudly I had to pull it away from my ear. Nick (who was standing a foot or two away, mind you) heard it as well and he bit back a laugh.

I cautiously returned the phone to my ear. "Err, sorry Macey I've been really busy…" I said pathetically as I tried to rack my brains for an excuse. I couldn't exactly lament about Zach right in front of Nick.

"Busy with wh- Oh wait oh wait it's not that boy is it? Speak, woman." She said.

I glanced cautiously at Nick out of the corner of my eye. I knew he couldn't hear my conversation now that she had lowered her voice considerably, but he could sense my trepidation. "Uhm, can't really talk about that right now Mace." Nick smirked. The family resemblance between him and Zach had never been stronger than at this moment.

This angered her. "What do you mean you can't-" She paused and suddenly her voice was laced with excitement. "Oh my _god_ is he in the room right now? Are you two being safe?"

"Macey!" I exclaimed, blushing a bright red and making Nick crack up. He couldn't even hear my conversation, but I guess my facial expressions were just that good. "NO!"

I could tell she was going to respond with something witty, but all of a sudden, the music stopped in the other room. "Hold that thought." I said into the phone. "What's going on out there?" I whispered to Nick.

"I don't know, want me to go check it out?" He offered.

I waved him off. "No, I will." I put the phone back to my ear. "Macey, I've got to-"

"Don't you dare hang up this phone Cameron!" I groaned, knowing she would never forgive me.

"Uhhhh, Nick! Talk to Macey." I said, tossing him the phone and trying not to laugh as he stared at me helplessly before putting it to his ear hesitantly.

I left him to go push the door open slightly. He would be fine… probably. My view was obstructed by the crowd of people, but I noticed that they were all facing the stage, so I realized that there had to be something going on up there. Maybe someone was fixing the stereo? That notion was disregarded when I heard what sounded like someone tapping into a microphone.

"Hey people, attention? Yo! Listen up!" A voice finally yelled, getting general silence from the crowd. "_Thank you_." I was startled to recognize that the voice was Zach's. Ah, he was probably just welcoming everyone to the party. Yeah, that was it.

"As I was saying, welcome and all that crap. But really what I came up here to do was this:" Everyone was pretty much sitting on the edge of their seat…. although they were standing so crappy metaphor right there. But you get what I mean.

He cleared his throat. "Cammie Morgan? Cammie?"

Before I could slip back into the kitchen unnoticed a gigantic spotlight shined in my face, blurring my vision for a second. When my eyes adjusted to the light I saw that the crowd had done their best impression of the Red Sea and parted for me, leaving nothing but an empty gap between me and a smirking Zach Goode on stage.

I gulped.

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><p><strong>AN: Ta-daaa. Jazz hands. Remember how I said last chapter was the worst cliff hanger… well I don't know this one might be worse… maybe? You tell me. But I told you stuff was going down and I mean it man. And not to worry, not to worry Nick and Cammie will not be getting together. Although certain people may misconstrue the situation and be lead to believe that. Just sayin. Love you guys, please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

If there was ever a deer in the headlights look, surely I would have it perfected right about now. But seriously, with nothing but the obnoxiously bright spotlight separating me and Zach, I had so many conflicting emotions going on at once I didn't know what to do with myself.

But hey, look on the bright side… at least he's wearing clothes this time. Although that grey shirt makes him look really, really attractive and also really, really hard to hate him at the same time.

"Hey Gallagher Girl," Zach smirked into the microphone as if we were having a one-on-one conversation instead of an improvised speech in front of the whole school.

Instead of responding, I tried to kill him with my glare.

Pleased that he had managed to find me, he turned back to address the crowd. "So, everyone knows Cammie, right?" He asked them.

Well if they didn't know who I was before, they sure do now, thanks to him. The noises of agreement from the hundreds of curious teenagers reverberated throughout the room. "Yeah, okay." Zach said with a nod. "Well, long story short, _Cammie_ won't agree to go on a date with me." He explained.

Oh my god. Was his whole purpose in life to just humiliate me as much as possible?

There were a few snickers and some heartbroken gasps from the girls who had obvious crushes on him. I'm not even kidding. "Yeah, I know right?" Zach said cockily, egged on by their interest and reactions. "But anyway, I was hoping that this might fix the problem." He explained, running a hand through his hair.

"How many of you think Cammie should go on a date with me?" He yelled into the microphone. The room mirrored his enthusiasm, cheering so loudly I thought I felt the entire house shake for a moment.

I wanted to crawl into a hole and die I was so embarrassed. Zach motioned for me to come onstage with a knowing smirk on his face. I shook my head adamantly. People clapped in encouragement and someone nudged me from behind, making me stumble forward a few feet.

I realized that there was no way I could get out of this now. I took a few steps forward, just close enough to the stage that Zach could grab my hand and pull me onto the raised platform. He pulled me up with a little more momentum than I was expecting, causing me to tumble a bit into him. He grabbed me arms and pushed my hair behind my ear quickly. To the audience, it may have looked like an embrace, however it was anything but.

"This is _my_ game Gallagher Girl." Zach whispered quickly into my ear away from the microphone. "I _always_ win." He released me from the premeditated hug and plastered on his winning smile again.

"So what do you say Cammie?" He asked the audience, charming them with his overall "Zach-ness".

He handed me the microphone and the room became so quiet that you could probably hear a pin drop. Did I really have a choice? If I said no, Zach would just make me stand up there and have the audience cheer until I conceded. Why go through all that? "I…" I cleared my throat, hoping to God that I wouldn't start coughing. "Yes."

The room exploded in cheers as the music came back on even louder before. People started flooding the stage and Zach's smug grin disappeared in the crowd as I was pushed and manhandled in flow of the mob. I tried to get out of the center of the dance floor where people were jumping up and down to the rhythmic boom of the base.

Finally, I managed to elbow my way a path to freedom, leading me right back to the kitchen door. Zach was nowhere in sight, forever lost in the hoard of dancing teenagers. I gratefully pushed my way back through the door and into safety.

Surprisingly, Nick was still on the cell phone talking, his eyes closed and his forehead rested on one of the cabinets, looking a combination of frustrated and amused. Macey can do that to a guy. However, I'm genuinely shocked to see that he's lasted this long. Maybe the tough-guy look isn't just a façade.

"Yes he sounds like an idiot." Nick was telling her, oblivious to my reappearance. "No that's probably not a good idea. Maybe try something less… violent?" His light-hearted tone of voice contradicting his words and I couldn't help but laugh.

He lifted his head and looked me in the eye and rolled his eyes teasingly. "Cammie's back Macey." He informed her. "It was nice talking to you also." I might have just been imagining things, but I could have sworn that there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

He handed me the phone back, but before I could put it to my ear, I heard voices. Zach's voice, to be exact. "Did you check in the kitchen?" He asked. There was a muffled, inaudible response and then: "I'll look."

Desperately, I closed the phone before answering, fully aware that I would be paying for hanging up on my friend later. "Hide!" I hissed at Nick, who looked immensely confused.

I opened a door randomly and shoved him in. I tried to get in after him while simultaneously closing the door behind me, but my lack of grace caused me to trip and fall to the ground, colliding with Nick along the way. What resulted was a mess of tangled limbs and a slightly cracked door that let in a sliver of light, making it barely possible to see the tops of Zach's beat up Converse as he emerged into the kitchen.

I noted that I appeared to have pushed us into a small, dark broom closet. How cliché. "Um," Nick whispered awkwardly as he tried to shift out of the position in which we had landed. The room was tiny and even the slightest move would topple one of the booby-trapped shelves over for sure. We would have to stay like we were- My legs tangled with his as I held myself up by my arms so as not to crush him. His hands rested rather suggestively right below my chest. It didn't help that both of our clothes were rumpled and disheveled.

I shushed him and tried to listen to Zach outside. He walked around for a few moments, not coming near the closet. I heard his footsteps get quieter and I was sure that we were going to get away with it.

And then my phone rang… _loudly_.

I whispered an unladylike curse word and dropped my head to Nick's shoulder, cursing Macey and the fact that I didn't turn my phone onto vibrate.

Sure enough, mere seconds later the door was yanked open in a surge of blinding light to reveal Zach. His face quickly transformed from smugness to shock as he stared over the two of us in our compromising position. I tried to stutter out an explanation while I struggled to stand up, knocking stuff over in the process. Nick did the same.

Zach composed himself, his face quickly becoming and impassive mask, his tense, tightly set jaw being the only thing that gave away his suppressed anger. Without even bothering to give us a chance to talk, he shut the closet door and walked away.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry this is so late, I've had a ton of stuff to do lately. I hope you don't hate me too much for the ending of this chapter. You gotta have some conflict there, you know? I promise things will get better. Please review! Till next time :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Even after much searching, I was unable to find Zach again. He seemed to be one of those people that you can only really see when he wants you to see him. We had that in common. Instead of stay at the party, I chose to go home with Liz.

I spent the whole night lying awake in my bed. To some extent, this was what I wanted, right? Zach would be leaving me alone now… so why was I so unhappy? _Is _this what I want? I couldn't tell anymore. I know I certainly hadn't meant to hurt any feelings. What I really need is a good night's sleep- I always come up with my best solutions first thing in the morning. However, it just wasn't working; my eyes would not close.

I huffed in frustration and sat up in bed. I'm obviously not getting any sleep tonight. I kicked the sheets off the bed and walked downstairs quietly so I wouldn't wake up my mom, who was sleeping a few rooms down the hall. I shivered, glancing at the thermostat at the bottom of the stairs.

59 degrees! No wonder I couldn't sleep; it's like an igloo in here. I mean, it probably didn't help that I was only dressed in boy-shorts and a tank top, but still. I cranked the heat up a little bit and wrapped my arms around myself before walking into the kitchen.

My bare feet felt uncomfortable on the cold tile, but I ignored it, too caught up in my own thoughts to worry about such trivial things. I got a bottle of water from the refrigerator, choosing to leave the door open so that the artificial light could illuminate the dark, impersonal room. The light softened the room somehow, making it feel less intimidating. I put the water down on the granite counter and looked out the window onto the dark street that lay in front of me.

The pitch-black open space of my front yard was tempting. Back in New York, there was a park across from my apartment complex. I used to walk over there in times like this- times when I couldn't sleep. Not the safest idea, for sure, but calming. I would sit on the park bench and feel the breeze and listen to the sounds of the city around me.

I took the bait, padding over to my front door and unlocking it. I took a few steps, effectively moving off the porch and onto the damp sod. I looked up at the big oak tree near my window, wondering if I could climb it. Surely if Grant could do it, so could I.

I grabbed onto a low-hanging branch and lifted my bare foot up, searching for something to support it on. I fumbled my way up the tree in the dark, but was surprised how naturally it came to me, considering I had never before climbed a tree in my life. I sat on a branch about six or seven feet off the ground, glad that my few years of cheerleading had afforded me some sort of grace and balance.

The breeze seemed stronger up here, even though I was only mere feet off the ground. My hair blew around, tangling behind me and getting in my face. I let my feet dangle off the branch, swinging them back and forth rhythmically.

A car door slammed, breaking the eerie, trance-like silence that pervaded the midnight. My eyes snapped open at the sudden noise and I had to quickly grab at the thick trunk of the tree to regain my balance. "Can you stand?" Grant's voice asked- distant, but closer than I assumed.

At first, I thought he was talking to me. I almost responded before I realized who he was actually talking to. "Yeah dude, whatever. I'm not a kid, okay?" Zach slurred, stepping out of the car unsteadily, his hand on the car door.

I gasped, ducking behind a cluster of leaves that would hopefully conceal my hiding spot. I peeked out in between the leaves curiously. I heard Grant sigh. "You know, this isn't exactly how I imagined the night ending. I should be with _Bex_, not dragging your drunk ass to my house."

Zach rolled his eyes and slumped against the side of the car. "I could've gotten here myself. I didn't _ask_ you to drive me."

"You're an idiot if you think you can drive like this." Grant said, walking right past my tree and up to his front door. I stayed as still as possible, praying that he wouldn't look up. Zach pushed himself up off the side of the car and sauntered over. "You don't even live here." Grant grumbled contemptuously as he unlocked the door.

Zach snorted. "Well there's no way I'm staying in the same house as Nick tonight." He said bitterly, walking into the house.

Grant stuck an arm out across the door frame, effectively stopping him from entering the house. Zach's drunken reflexes caused him to bump into his arm anyway. He stumbled back a step or two, shooting Grant a glare. "What the hell happened between you two?" Grant asked seriously.

Zach looked away, scowling. His jaw twitched. "Nothing. Let me in." He demanded.

"Not until you tell me what happened."

No answer.

"Was it Cammie?"

Zach's head snapped up, his eyes blazing with anger. "No. I'm done with her."

Grant raised an eyebrow. "That's bull and you know it."

If looks could kill, Grant would be dead on the floor right now. "Let me in." Zach ordered, his voice terrifyingly steady and controlled.

Grant held his gaze for only a second more before he finally seemed to get the message, removing his arm from the door and stepping back. Zach wasted no time brushing past him, purposefully bumping into his shoulder roughly on his way in.

Grant made no attempt to retaliate to his friend's aggressive behavior. He stood outside the door for a minute, a look of indecision on his face. Eventually, he shook his head and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful that I wasn't discovered. Just as I was about to start my descent from the high branch, a light turned on in one of the rooms in Grant's house- one right next to my tree. Zach walked in. It was slightly unnerving- having a crystal clear view of everything going on in that room while I knew, logically that he couldn't see me.

Zach pulled off his leather jacket violently and flung it into the corner of the room. He dropped like a rock on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

His fingers weaved through his tousled brown hair, tugging in frustration. He sat there like a statue. I mirrored his frozen state, surprised to the point where I was immovable. He broke the trance that he unintentionally held me in by standing up. He stoically wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before turning out the light.

That's when I knew I had made a horrible mistake.

And now I had to fix it.

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><p><strong>AN: Please don't kill me! I hope this chapter makes up for my lack of update- I really like this one… Cammie's going to stop being so guarded now. Well, for the most part. But you know, you gotta have some conflict in there. Please review :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**To **ActuallyGracie**, for sending me a PM and reminding me to stop surfing the internet aimlessly and start writing my stories again (in significantly nicer words than that.)**

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><p><span>Chapter 14<span>

I spent the weekend locked up in my bedroom, studying, doing homework, and trying to figure out what I was going to say to Zach on Monday. Ironically, it very much paralleled the weekend I spent worrying about confronting him back when I first got here… after that horrible party and faux-date at the coffee shop.

I'll never admit this out loud, but I haven't gone to Starbucks since that "date". I had become a loyal customer to that coffee shop-something I had promised myself to never do.

In all honesty, I was worried. From what I heard Friday night, Zach didn't seem to be very willing to forgive me anymore. I think that maybe he had finally had enough… just as I realized that maybe I felt something for him, too.

Yes, I know. It's about time. I feel so stupid- only having come to the realization _right_ after he decides he wants nothing more to do with me. But I'm not going down without a fight.

I know that there's got to be a way to get him to like me again… the problem is figuring out how to do it. Determinacy, however, has never been a trait where I've been found lacking.

Pushing aside any negative thoughts, I walked into the school building on Monday morning with my hair freshly straightened and my chin held high. I convinced myself that it was no big deal that he didn't show up at my locker, a place he had occasionally habited just to annoy me.

After all, we shared first period- so unless he was doing another one of his famous disappearing acts, I had to see him soon. For the past 48 hours, I've ran several different scenarios through my head and come up with what I wanted to say for each of them.

The common theme in each of them is that I apologize and eventually he forgives me. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do if the latter portion doesn't pull through.

After receiving some encouraging words from Bex while waiting in homeroom, I made my way to the math classroom. I could see the back of his head, his brown hair mussed and messy, as if he had just taken a shower this morning and towel-dried it before getting in his car and driving to school.

I took a deep breath and sat in the vacated seat next to him. He didn't look at me; he kept his face turned directly in the front of the room, but I could see that he sensed my presence. It was something in the way that his whole body tensed up as soon as I sat down, his jaw clenching as if he were trying to hold in a scowl or a glare. His face remained passive, obviously as a product of his best efforts.

"Hey," I whispered to him quietly so that Mr. Solomon wouldn't hear me. He had already begun his lecture, which he was pretty involved in, but he was also one of those really perceptive teachers that always seemed to know if you weren't paying attention.

Zach ignored me completely.

Wondering if it was purposeful, or if maybe he actually wasn't listening, I tried again. "_Hey_," I whispered a little louder, leaning a bit out of my seat so I could get closer to him. He smelled like peppermint and dull cologne. It was intoxicating.

This time however, I knew that he heard me because he shifted a little in his seat and I could see his fingers clutch the pencil in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He was trying his very hardest to ignore me. This annoyed me greatly.

"Well _fine_." I hissed at him. "If you want to be like that, _great_. You can just listen, then." I said, reverting from the plan in my head in which I kept my cool, and resorting to improvisation instead.

"Whatever you _thought_ you saw on Friday night _wasn't_ what actually happened. And I know that you're mad, and that you think you're justified in your anger, and if I were you I would probably be angry too." I stopped to take a breath and I surveyed his reaction. Or _lack_ of reaction, would be the better word. Other than the clenched jaw, white knuckles and the fact that, although he was focused solely on his notes, he had yet to copy down a single word. He just stared at his blanked line paper. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Anyway, I'm sorry. Zach, I'm _really_ sorry." I took a calming breath before continuing. "Not just for that. For everything- for, for… for blowing you off so many times and acting like I didn't care. Because I _do_, Zach, I _do_ care. Kind of a lot." I said, baring my soul to this messy-haired boy who claimed he was done with me.

But still nothing. He didn't say anything; he didn't even blink.

"Ms. Morgan, do you think that you could tell me the formula for finding the area of a trapezoid?" Mr. Solomon asked, clearly having caught me talking to Zach, as the question was obviously directed towards humiliating me.

"I…I…" I mumbled, my face turning red as I tried (and failed) to come up with an answer. Mr. Solomon raised an eyebrow, awaiting my response.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zach surreptitiously push the piece of paper from his notes to the end of his desk. I glanced at it desperately. "The… the sum of the bases times the height over two?" I said, more of a question than an answer.

The side of Mr. Solomon's mouth twitched as if he knew exactly how I got that answer and he was trying to hide his amusement. "That is the correct answer, Ms. Morgan. Next time, try getting it _without_ the help of your classmates." He said, turning back to the board. I breathed a small sigh of relief.

I turned to Zach to thank him, but he was already back in his original, rigid position. Not wanting to get caught twice in one period, I paid attention for the remainder of the class.

However, there was nothing to stop me from catching onto his arm the second to bell rang, signaling the end of the period. I could see that he was trying to make a quick escape, but I wasn't about to let that happen.

"Thanks for that." I said, giving him an uncharacteristically shy smile, trying to test the waters, see if that answer was his version of a white flag of surrender. He stared back at me blankly.

I cleared my throat. "Um, so are we cool?" I asked, trying not to cough out of nervousness. The lack of his trademark smirk was beginning to become unnerving. His eyes looked me up and down, but not like he was checking me out. Sizing me up would be the more appropriate term. Something in what he saw seemed to agitate him, make him upset.

"What happened to your leg?"

Those were the first words he said to me since the party. Not 'Hey Cammie, I forgive you', or 'Let's go out on a date' or even 'Hi'. My leg. He asks what happened to my leg.

"What?" I responded, understandably confused.

"Your. Leg." He repeated for me slowly, as if I were an invalid. He even went as far as pointing to my leg, as if to remind me where the extremity was on my body. "What happened to it?"

I looked down at it, disorientated by his bizarre line of questioning. "This? Oh, I just… I fell out of a tree." I said, looking down at the large, ugly scrape I earned trying to climb out of my tree Friday night.

"Are you okay?" He asked, continuing his strange behavior.

"Am I…" I echoed, bewildered. "Yeah- yes. I'm fine."

This seemed to placate him. He nodded once and walked away, leaving me to wonder over one of the strangest conversations of my life.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, I hope you guys understood the last part. I tried to make them both seem a little more human in this one, you know. Not just the stereotypical cool smirky guy and the pretty girl. I know you want him to forgive her soon, but you know that the more he stays away, the more awesome it will be when they get back together. What's that saying… "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." As always, thanks for the endless support! Love ya :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I ate lunch with Bex and Liz while I filled them in on all of the drama they missed out on during Friday and this morning. I could tell Bex was trying to be supportive, but she was too busy making goo-goo eyes at Grant from across the cafeteria. He told her that he really wanted to sit with us, but he was obligated by the "man code" to sit with Zach.

I was happy because it gave me the opportunity to gossip freely about Zach without interruption. "That's it? That's all he said?" Liz questioned me after I had finished explaining my strange conversation with Zach earlier.

"Yeah, it was really weird." I said, taking a bite of my hamburger.

Liz just "hmm'd" thoughtfully and popped a French fry in her mouth. "I'm not sure what _that_ means, but I'm still convinced that he likes you. More than usual, that is." I fiddled with my fingers nervously. "What do you think, Bex?"

Bex didn't answer, staring off into the distance dreamily. "Bex?" Liz repeated to no avail. "_Bex!_"

"Huh?" She responded, snapping out of her trance.

We both stared at her with amusement, obviously aware as to where her diverted attention had gone. "So how was your weekend?"

She rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed with us, but I could still see her tell-tale blush. "Actually, not as eventful as you may think." She sighed, picking at her food with her fork.

"Why?" Liz questioned, leaning forward in her seat.

She put her fork down, dropping the even the pretense of eating. We had all barely touched our food, far too concerned with gossiping about the boys that sat a few tables away. "Well… there was no… he didn't… he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend!" She finally spit out. "God, it sounds so stupid and insecure when I say it out loud." She grumbled, burying her head in her hands.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I kind of get the vibe that Grant is rather clueless about that sort of stuff. I'm sure he just assumed it was implied." I promised her, making a mental note to tell him to get on that asap.

"Yeah." Bex agreed halfheartedly. "Besides, I didn't see much of him after the party this weekend. From what I could tell, he had his hands full with Zach. Did you know that he didn't go home _once_ this weekend? Grant said he spent the whole time just moping around in his room."

I shifted in my seat, the now familiar feeling of guilt descending on me yet again. "Yeah, I know. I live next door, remember?" I muttered.

Liz sensed my change in mood and put a hand on my shoulder. "We know you didn't do anything wrong, Cammie. _He_ just doesn't know that yet."

"This was probably a pretty big let-down for him too." Bex pointed out off-handedly. "I mean, from an outsider's point of view, this was the closest I've seen him get to another girl since two summers ago." Liz nodded in solemn agreement.

There was a beat of silence and I realized that they were not going to elaborate on Bex's mysterious evaluation. "Oh, come on." I stated good-naturedly. "You can't just say something like that and then not explain yourselves. I'm still the new girl, remember?" I joked.

They didn't smile along with me though. "You do it." Bex said to Liz. "You're better at explaining this stuff."

Liz sighed before starting her story in a whisper. "The first thing you should know is that the Zach you know now isn't what he was always like. He was always popular, but he wasn't really cocky like he is now. And his parents were a lot more… _involved_ in his life. He had a little sister, too. She was seven, I think. It was the summer after freshman year."

I took a deep breath, realizing that this was not the type of story with a happy ending. Not at all.

"She was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was really young, but she had fought it off. She was in remission for a while. They thought she was going to be okay. But then in early June it came back. The whole family flew to Boston to see some fancy doctor. Zach spent the whole summer up there. No one heard from him for three months.

"In September he came back for the first day of school, but he was different. Not in a bad way, but just… different. He was really into throwing parties. He became this sort of god-like, untouchable thing to all the girls in the school. His parents stayed in Boston. I think they come and visit him here every once in a while, but he lives alone. Well, he lives with Nick now, but he lived alone for almost two years. He never talked about his sister, but everyone saw the obituary in the newspaper." She finished, looking down at her hands.

I stared at her, open-mouthed. Never, in a million years would I have guessed that about Zach. Now I don't know what to think anymore.

"What… what was her name?" I asked, not sure if I even wanted to know.

Liz opened her mouth to reply, but a voice interrupted. "Samantha." Liz's face turned red while her eyes widened, and I knew who it was before I even turned around. But I turned around anyway.

Zach looked down at me with a blank, emotionless stare. I was frozen in it- captured in his gaze. "Her name was Sam." He stated slowly and evenly. I said nothing.

Then he turned and walked away.

And of course, I followed him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, don't I feel like a terrible person. I hadn't even realized it's been more than a month! I've been super busy with my exams and such though. And plenty of real-life boy drama to go along with it (sigh). But I'm back now- and I'm really starting to get into this story again! I've got tons of ideas on where I want this to go now :) Hope you don't hate me too much for making Zach sad. I'll try to update sooner. Love you guys xx**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I found him sitting in the hallway, slumped up against the wall, looking at his hands as if they held the secrets of the universe. If this were a movie, he would be smoking a cigarette and staring pensively into oblivion. But it's not.

"Why did you come here?" He asked me, his voice hoarse as he refused to make eye contact.

"Because I care about you." I whispered truthfully, sliding my back down the wall so I was level with him.

"No, not _here_ here. I mean, here, Roseville. Why didn't you just stay in New York?" The question was unexpected and so out of context that I didn't know what to say at first.

"Would you have rather I had? Stayed in New York, I mean." I asked him, afraid he would only confirm what I had feared.

"Sometimes."

_Sometimes_. It wasn't quite a no, but it wasn't a yes either.

"Me too." I agreed.

There was a beat of silence and I held my breath, unsure of what to do, what to say. "I don't like Nick." I settled on, hoping he wouldn't just pick up and leave now that I've broached the topic of the elephant in the room.

"I never thought you did." He said, flicking a crumb across the slick tiled floor.

"I didn't kiss him either." I responded, catching on to his manipulative reasoning.

He turned and looked at me for the first time since I sat down. "Why should I believe you?" He asked, sounding like he genuinely wanted to know the answer. No, that wasn't right. He didn't want to _know_ the answer. He knew the answer. He just wanted me to say it.

I took a deep breath and summoned my courage, realizing what I needed to say- what he needed to hear. "Because I like _you_." I practically whispered.

I could see the corners of his mouth twitch up in an impending smirk. He tried to hide it, but I caught it anyway. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"I like you." I muttered, looking down at the floor and playing with a loose string on the hem of my shirt while I tried to hide my wild blush.

"Come again?"

"I said I like you! You, Zach, _you_! You, you, you. Are you happy now?" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation.

He was full-blown grinning now, and I'm not really sure why I ever worried because Zach is hardly the type of person capable of holding a grudge. He laughed happily. "Calm down Gallagher Girl, we don't want the whole world to know about your little crush, now do we?"

I scowled at him and stood up, brushing off my jeans. "You know what? I take it back. I hate you." I said, rather convincingly if I do say so myself.

He seemed unfazed, however, and hopped up to grab my arm and keep me from walking away. He spun me back around and our faces were mere inches from one another. I was completely helpless to the fact that my eyes went straight to his lips as they spoke. "Really?" He asked, his bright green eyes looked down at me teasingly as he raised an eyebrow with skepticism. "Because I bet I can change your mind."

With out so much as a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him, so that my hands were balled up in useless little fists on his chest. He brushed a strand of hair back from my face and smirked when I shivered. Our faces were now so close that I could feel his cool breath on my face and smell the fresh peppermint. I fought hard to keep my eyes from instinctually fluttering closed. I wished he would just kiss me already.

"Do you like me, Gallagher Girl?" He whispered so quietly that if he hadn't been so darn _close_ to me, I wouldn't have heard him.

"I already told you that." I said, intending to sound annoyed, but it only came out sounding breathy. I was trying my best to keep my composure, knowing that he wanted nothing more than for me to crumble into his arms. His ego didn't need the satisfaction of that.

But when he tilted his head so that he could brush his lips lightly against the shell of my ear, all inhibitions about composure melted away. "I want to hear it again. Will you say it again… please?" He asked, adding the latter as an after-thought.

I gasped and clung to his shirt as I finally gave in. "Fine! I like you, Zach, I like you! Now _please_, just…" I trailed off. My legs felt wobbly and it's a good thing he was holding me up with his arm because I'm pretty sure I would have collapsed onto the ground, and he hasn't even kissed me yet.

"Just what?" He asked, sounding so entertained and unaffected by the whole thing that I probably would have believed it myself if not for the fact that I could feel his heartbeat under my palms going a mile a minute.

"Just _kiss_ me already." I said, pleased when the words came out sounding frustrated instead of dazzled.

"Gladly." He responded immediately before pulling me in that final inch as my lips pressed to his. It was like we were synchronized, he breathed out as I breathed in. I couldn't get enough of it, and before I knew it I was fisting his shirt in my hands and trying to pull him even closer, as if somehow I could breathe him in.

My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst, but that's okay because his was too. He took a step forward without breaking the kiss and I took a step back, and then again, and again, until I was pressed up against the cool metal lockers and he had two palms flattened against them on either side of my head so I was completely trapped.

We were in our own world, oblivious to the fact that anyone could walk down the hall at any time and see us. He started to kiss his way down my jaw and neck and I leaned my head back, keeping my eyes closed and just dissolving in the feeling of his soft, gentle lips pressing into my skin.

Then suddenly, the bell rang and we both jumped, startled. He pulled back from me like he had been burned, shoving his hands in his pockets, seeming to realize that we were in public. But even if anyone had looked at us right now, they would have had to have known what we were doing. Zach's eyes were a shade darker than usual and his shirt was crumpled where my hands had been clutching it. He was flushed a light pink and he was breathing quick and unevenly.

I don't even want to know what I looked like. I know for a fact that the blush on my cheeks would stay there for at least a good hour, and who knows? With my luck, it may be permanent. I had to pry my eyes away from him so that I could catch my breath.

He was now standing a foot or two away and it helped to clear my head a bit. He gave me a guilty smile and cleared his throat. "For the record, Gallagher Girl, I like you too." He said.

"I figured as much." I said in a voice that was still a little wobbly.

The hall began to fill with rushed students, hurrying to get to their lockers to gather their books for the next class. Thankfully, they paid no attention to either of us standing there and looking suspiciously out-of-breath. I realized with shock that my lunch period was over and we had spent nearly half an hour in the hall.

I had neither the motivation nor the state-of-mind to sit through a dull American history class right now, but it appears that I don't have much of a choice. "I should go to history." I said to him reluctantly, stepping away from the locker.

"You _should_," He teased. "But you're actually going to come with me instead." He decided for me, smirking in that way of his.

"But I don't have with class you next." I said, my brain still muddled and moving slowly.

He chuckled. "Who said we were going to class?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know it's been a while, sorry 'bout that. I hope that you like this chapter, it's nice and fluffy and I thought you deserved that for all your waiting! Next chapter is probably going to be kind of angsty and stuff. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites and story alerts, etcetera. It's all really appreciated :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

So I figured there was now about a fifty percent chance that Zach was kidnapping me. "Seriously, if you wanted to kill me there were much easier ways. You _do_ know where I live, after all." I reminded him.

He just smirked, putting on his turn signal and swerved down what appeared to be a dirt road leading into a small wooded area. He pulled up to the side and parked, giving me a smug look. "We're here." He announced.

"Okay, now I _definitely _know you're trying to kill me."

He chuckled and got out of the car. I sighed and shook my head as I unbuckled my seatbelt, wondering what I had gotten myself into now. I reached for the door, but before I could get to the handle it opened for me. I looked at Zach with raised eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes and moved his hand, motioning for me to get out of the car. "What, you thought I wasn't capable of chivalry?"

I smiled at him as I exited his rather expensive and ostentatious-looking vehicle. "So are you going to tell me what we're doing here? Or am I just supposed to blindly follow you into the woods?"

"Mm, I think the latter." He said, grabbing my hand and beginning to pull me away from the road.

I dug my heels in the dirt, not moving an inch. "Where are you taking me, Zach?" I asked, only letting a _little_ bit of the exasperation slip into my voice.

He looked up at me with big puppy-dog eyes that were far too innocent for my liking. "Don't you trust me, Gallagher Girl?"

I huffed, looking away so I wouldn't be caught by his spell. "That is just what people way when they want to guilt you into trusting them."

He smirked, inching closer. "Would I _really_ do that to you?"

I smothered an eye-roll at his manipulating teasing. "That's- That isn't fair. You're not playing fair." I scrunched my nose as I made the accusation.

He shook his head at me, giving me a look. Like he was in on some big joke that I didn't know about. "What?" I asked when he kept on staring. "God, what is it? Stop looking at me like that, it's freaking me out!" I said, crossing my arms petulantly.

"You're just too cute for your own good, you know that?" He laughed at my childish behavior before he turned and walked away without giving me a chance to respond. I was left spluttering in the background, unsure of how to react to his strange behavior. "Are you coming or not?" He called after me.

I followed in his direction without giving it a second thought. I caught up to him and his arm shot out, wrapping around my waist in a possessive caress so that I was pressed to his side as we walked. "Who are you and what have you done with Zach Goode?" I asked suspiciously, unsure of what to make of this uncharacteristically affectionate attitude.

He laughed, sounding carefree. "Does this make you uncomfortable? Because I'm afraid you're going to have to learn to like it. I want people to know you're my girlfriend."

"Who said anything about a girlfriend?" I shot back tauntingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry- was making out in the school hallway not a public enough announcement for you? Because I'd be happy to throw another party, solely for the purposes of announcing our new relationship-"

"Okay! I get it, okay!" I said loudly- anything to get him off of that train of thought. "I'm your girlfriend. Alright. Message received." He gripped me a little tighter and I could feel him hiding his smile of amusement in my hair.

"You're a jerk." I told him truthfully.

"You're annoying." He countered.

Zach led me through the forest, not following any sort of visible path. I climbed over more vines and barely missed tripping over so many branches in our short walk that I was pretty much done with the whole experience and ready for it to be over. "Are we almost there yet?" I asked, stopping to lean down and tie my shoe as he walked ahead a few paces, disappearing behind a large tree trunk. I double-knotted my shoelace and went to follow him.

"Seriously Zach. Not to sound ungrateful, but I'm getting eaten alive here by mosquitoes and- Whoa." This, I had _not_ been expecting.

I was looking at a treehouse of massive proportions- a treehouse so awesome it could probably rival that of the Swiss Family Robinson's. It looked like it had taken _years_ to build. Nestled comfortably between three conveniently positioned trees, the wooden house had been painted different stripes of colors. It was like a big burst of rainbow in the otherwise brown forest.

Zach was already halfway up the ladder before I had gotten over the initial shock. "Do you need help up babe?" He asked, offering me a hand.

I cocked my head at him, smiling. "What did you just call me?"

He got flustered and if I hadn't known better I would have said that Zach was _blushing_. "Uh, nothing. Do you need a hand or not?"

"Sure thing, _baby_." I responded with a devilish smile on my face, accepting the offered hand as he glared at me.

The inside of the treehouse was, if anything, more impressive than the outside. It was basically every little girl's dream. The floor was a plush blue carpet and stuffed animals were strewn haphazardly around the room. Various elementary-level doodles were tacked up on the bright-pink walls next to what appeared to be family photos. I was too far away to see any faces. In the corner there was a table with arts and craft materials. I walked over to that side, looking down at a half-finished warning that ordered "No Boys Allowed"- complete with pink glitter and stickers.

"This was her treehouse." I heard Zach say from behind me. I turned back around to him silently to see him staring at his sneaker-clad feet. "My sister. It was hers."

I wasn't sure what to say, so I didn't say anything. I stared at him from across the room, not entirely sure what I was waiting for. An outburst of emotion? Probably not. An explanation? Maybe.

An exclusive look into Zach's mysterious, sometimes-checkered and tragic past? Whether I was ready for it or not, that looked to be what I was getting.

"Samantha?" I repeated her name as a question, confirming the information I already knew.

"Yeah," He replied, running the tips of his fingers over the rough wood on the windowsill. "It's just how she left it. All of it. This place…" He shook his head, looking at me with a pained, forced smile.

"I always thought she was coming back. So I never messed with her stuff. But she didn't. I kept everything here the same anyway. 'Cept for that." He pointed to a corner where there was a small, unobtrusive pile of things- schoolbooks, an iPod, an old guitar and other various objects. "I like to come here. You know, to think… and stuff."

He walked to that corner and slid down the wall until he hit the floor, his knees bent up and his hands hanging over his legs. Unsure of what else to do, I followed him, sliding down right next to him. We didn't look at each other; we just kind of watched the room around us. We were quiet for what felt like a long time.

After a while he grabbed my hand in his and started tracing mindless patterns on it with his finger while he talked. "You remind me of her a bit." He whispered. "In some ways you're a lot alike but in some ways you're totally different. Stubborn, though. You're both so _stubborn_." He got a nostalgic smile on his face and I could tell he was lost in his memories.

"You know, she used to have the hardest time tying her shoes. I swear, it would take her fifteen minutes to a half an hour every morning just to _tie_ her goddamn _shoes_. I used to offer to do it for her, just to save the time, but she would never let me. She would wake up a half an hour earlier each morning so she would have enough time to tie her shoes by herself. She was crazy. But she was Sammy."

He looked at me, smiling. I smiled back. His eyes flickered down to my knee, so close to his. His eyebrows furrowed and he reached out his hand to gently touch the scratches I had earned in my tree-climbing experience last weekend. "How did you say you got this again?" He asked, skimming the surface of my skin with his fingers so delicately I got goosebumps.

"Tree." My voice was hoarse so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Fell out of a tree."

He smirked, but it was different, vulnerable this time. "Sam used to rollerblade. Never wore kneepads. I used to tell her to, but like I said- stubborn. She never listened to me. She always had scrapes on her knees. It used to piss me off so much."

He looked back out at the room and I followed his lead. I felt strange, like I was watching a movie, not really involved. I was just a soundboard, here to listen. I felt helpless. I wished I knew what to say to make it better but there wasn't anything. I didn't know how he felt, and I never would.

"When she died, my parents went into her room and packed away all of her stuff. _Everything_. They even painted over the walls in her old room- this disgusting, grey color. Every family picture that had her in it was taken off the wall. It's like she never even existed. She wasn't even gone a month and everything she ever touched was put in a box and shoved in the basement."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "Except this place. They forgot about this place- hell, even I did. My dad had built it for me one summer when I was seven- the summer Sammy was born. I thought it was the coolest thing ever for about a month, then school started and I forgot about it. I didn't even know Sam ever knew it was here. I guess she just found it one day and took it upon herself to make it her own secret clubhouse." He picked at a loose thread in the rug, smiling a little.

"I found it about a month after… after I came back home. I was just walking around the woods one day and saw it. I climbed up and here it was. It's like she's still in here. I can still _feel_ her in here, you know? I'm the only one who knows about this place. And you too now, I guess."

He grabbed my hand suddenly, studying my face intently, looking into my eyes as he gripped my hand with a growing intensity, as if he was afraid I was going to disappear. "I'm sorry. It's a lot, I know. Are you okay? You can leave if you have to. I mean, if you don't want-"

I cut him off before he could go any further. "I'm here Zach. I'm not leaving. Not now. Not ever."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's been a while, I know. But here it is. I'm really self-conscious about this chapter… I kind of basically poured my heart and soul into making it sound even semi-believable. I hope it's okay. It's a bit longer than usual for you all but I couldn't leave anything out here as it is a rather important chapter. Anyway, review please and I love you all! Also- how do you like the cover page I made?**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Since we were officially playing hooky now, we had the whole rest of the day to kill before we went back to our respective homes. After about an hour or so of Zach's reminiscing in the tree-house, he helped me down and we wandered back to his car. I got back into the passenger seat, naturally wondering where we would be going next. However, it seemed that he was back to his secretive ways, unwilling to tell me where he was driving. This time, I was not taking no for an answer.

"Zach. I played along last time. Tell me where we're going or so help me _God_ I will go into school tomorrow and tell everyone you kiss like a frog." I threatened to the best of my abilities.

He sighed. "Why must you kill every last ounce of my fun?"

I shrugged. "It's what I'm here for."

"Alright, fine. You remember our last date?"

"That was _not_ a _date_, Zach." I spoke through gritted teeth.

"Gallagher Girl!" He gasped, sounding scandalized. "Honestly, I thought we were passed that. It was a date. Of course it was a date. It was the best date you've ever been on and it made you fall madly in love with me." He smirked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"You caught me." I replied dryly.

I could see him trying to hold back laughter as his smirk slowly turned up into a mischievous half-smile. "One day, you'll look back on it and think of it as our first date, I promise."

"Non-consensual dating is not a _thing_, Goode."

"So we've regressed to a last name basis now? Ouch."

"What ever happened to Southern gentlemen? Or is that all a lie?" I huffed as he teased.

He gave a genuine laugh at my comment. "You're such a drama queen. We're not even _that_ far South. It's Virginia, not Mississippi."

"If you fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, then in my mind, you're in the South."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Fair point, I suppose. But anyway, you've distracted me, as usual. I was supposed to be telling you where we were going."

"That's right!" I exclaimed, perking back up.

"For our first date, I took you to the local coffee shop. For this date, I will be taking you to the Goode family estate and treating you to our six thousand dollar espresso machine."

I sat up straight in my seat. "You wouldn't be referring to the Jura-Capresso line, would you?"

He raised an eyebrow at me as the car pulled into his long, extensive driveway. "_Damn_, Cammie. I'll never doubt you and your coffee expertise again."

I grinned from ear-to-ear, eager to accept one of his rare compliments. "I went on one of my mom's business trips to Italy last year. They had one of those espresso machines in the lobby of the hotel we stayed at. It was like drinking liquid _gold_."

I could see him trying to smother a laugh. "What?" I asked skeptically, not sure if I wanted to hear what he was laughing about.

"Nothing." He lied, shaking his head and trying to pass it off.

"No, tell me!" I whined, pouting at him.

"You're just such a freak sometimes, you know?" The pout turned into a scowl as I poked him in his side violently. His whole body twitched as a noise escaped his throat and the car jerked off the road before he steadied it out again. My eyes widened as a monumental realization began to dawn on me.

"Zach Goode… are you… _ticklish_?" I asked in awe.

It was his turn to scowl. "Not while I'm driving Cameron." I could tell he was trying his hardest to sound angry and intimidating, but an undercurrent of fear was evident in his voice. I had caught him.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to muffle giggles. "Oh my _God! _You are! This is amazing. I've discovered your secret. The captain of the football team is _ticklish_."

He pulled the car up to the side of his Bill Gates-worthy home and I could see him trying to hide his red face. Not only was he ticklish, but he was blushing. "Alright, Nancy Drew, out of the car."

I raced out of the car door, desperate to test my theory, but his legs were longer and he took long strides to hurry away so the subject would be dropped. I waited patiently behind him as he unlocked the front door, but as soon as he walked one step in the house I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and spun him around so our faces were inches apart.

"Personally, I find it adorable." I whispered, unable to contain the smirk that could be heard in my voice.

He sighed in defeat. "Go ahead, I know you're dying to." He said, motioning to his sides.

I bit my lip, torn. "I shouldn't, should I?"

He smirked now, finally humoring me. "No, you really shouldn't, but I'm giving you a free pass this one time. Just go easy on me, okay?" He requested, squeezing his eyes shut and awaiting my torture.

My fingers attacked his sides mercilessly until his entire body shook with laughter and his back hit the door and we both collapsed onto his plush white carpet together, laughing uncontrollably. He was the first one to regain his composure. I, however, was having trouble.

"Did you _squeak_?" I asked in between short breaths. "I swear to God, you squeaked."

He propped his head up with one hand so he could look at me with an amused smile. "You're a cruel human being, you know that?" He punctuated his statement with a kiss on the base of my neck.

"Oh please." I said, finally calming down. "Like you haven't done much worse to me. Need I bring up the towel incident?"

He looked confused for a second. "The to-? Oh, _that_?" He got a far-off look in his eye as a mischievous grin threatened to split his face in two. "Yeah. That was a good one."

I snorted. "Good one? You scarred me. Practically snatched my innocence from my hands."

"Please," He kissed me again, the corner of my mouth this time, seemingly unable to keep his lips off of me. "You're hardly the fragile, innocent type. All I did was bring your ego down a couple notches."

"_My _ego!" I scoffed at his hypocrisy.

"Hell yes, _your _ego. You came in here with your New Yorker swag, thinking you were above us lowly small town kids. But in reality, you blush like a tomato just at the sight of some shirtless high school kid." To emphasize his point, he grabbed my stiff palm and dragged it to his flat, hard abs, pressing my fingers down so I could feel the lines of his muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt.

"Zach!" I coughed, pulling my hand away quickly as though I had been burned.

He laughed at my reaction. "Oh, come on, Cammie! They're just abs. You can touch them. They're pretty great, I know." He teased.

"There you go again, with the ruining of the innocence." I huffed, my hands flying in the air expressively as I let my head fall back against the soft carpet.

He bent over me, his eyes glinting with challenge. "It's okay Gallagher Girl… If you can't handle it…" He trailed off, leaning down to kiss me again, but a dare lingered in his voice and I would never say no to one of those. I pushed his shoulder slightly to stop the incoming kiss.

"Just lean back, jerk." He did as he was told, smirking with glee the whole time.

I bit my lip nervously, muttering, babbling under my breath with discontent. "I can touch your freaking abs if I wanted to touch your freaking abs but that's kind of the point I don't _want_ to and not everyone thinks you're freaking Adonis Zach, I have better things to do with my time and… _woah_." I was incapable of speech as I felt the hard planes of muscle willingly for the first time.

"Yup." He responded simply, putting his two hands underneath his head with casual ease.

My eyes narrowed at his cockiness, and I made sure to brush my fingers lightly up his side- where he was most ticklish. He yelped. "_Cammie_!" He said accusingly.

"Oops." I looked up at him innocently, but I could tell he wasn't entirely convinced.

Unfazed, I went back to my exploration. I pressed into his white t-shirt, tracing the contours of each muscle with my finger, fascinated. The hem of his shirt crept up with my finger and he shuddered before jumping to his feet, knocking my hand away from him. "Alright, I think that's enough of an anatomy lesson for today."

I raised my eyebrows, getting up slowly before throwing his own words back at him. "It's okay Zach… if you can't _handle_ it…"

He narrowed his eyes at me and gave me a small shove in the direction of the double-doors that led to his kitchen. "Go get your coffee you demon."

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><p><strong>AN: I know it's been like millennia since I've updated any story, much less this one, and I feel terrible terrible terrible, trust me, but I've had so much stuff to do and my life is just hectic with the ap classes and the hurricanes and the homecoming dances and blah blah blah. I could go on forever, but you don't want to hear my excuses- what I **_**will**_** tell you is that no, I do not plan on giving up on ANY of my stories, I will be finishing all of them, so don't worry your lovely little minds. I hate nothing more than when an author leaves me hanging, I know. It might take a little longer, but the chapters will come, I promise you. Anyway, I gave you major fluff to make up for my absence. I hope it was worthy. I'll try to be a little quicker in the future. Love you all, as always, and please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Quick Summary: Zach and Cammie made up after the Nick-closet scenario. Cammie and Zach kissed in the hallway, then ditched class to go to Zach's tree-house, where he told her about his sister, Sammie. Then they went back to his house where they did cute, couple-y things.**

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><p><span>Chapter 19<span>

School in the morning was going to be hell, I was sure. If, by some miracle, I didn't get in trouble for playing hooky, then I would still have to deal with the publicity Zach was sure to put on our new relationship. He had offered to drive me to school, to which I responded with a biting glare, telling him I was perfectly capable of driving myself places, thank you very much. He backed off with an amused look upon seeing the fire in my eyes.

However, as I sat in my car that morning in school parking lot, clutching the wheel with one hand and my usual cup of coffee in the other, I found myself wishing I had someone by my side. I think Roseville was making me go soft. I heard a knock on my car window and I looked up, expecting to see the smirking face of Zach.

Instead, I saw Nick, beckoning me out of my safe haven with a tattooed arm. "You can't stay in there forever, Cammie." I heard his muffled voice mumble through the buffer of my window.

I gave him a displeased look as he opened my door for me. "And who made you my official bodyguard?"

He held his hands up innocently. "Easy there tiger, retract your claws. Unless, of course, you'd rather walk into school yourself." He gestured to the seemingly endless expanse between the parking lot and the school building, where students milled all throughout; shooting the two of us curious looks.

I suppressed a shiver. "Nah, that's okay." I tried to sound nonchalant about it, but by the way his eyebrow raised skeptically at me, I could tell I probably failed.

"So…" He drew out the word as we fell in step together. I tried to focus on what he was saying so that I could distract myself from the less-than-subtle glances I was getting. "I take it you and Zach made out- _up!_ Made up."

I shot him a dirty look, catching on that his words were a little more intentional than he was letting on. "Did he tell you _already_?" I asked, disbelief evident.

He shook his head, and I could tell he was biting back an amused smile. "No. Someone saw you two playing tonsil hockey in the hall yesterday. It's all over school."

I groaned, louder than I intended to, attracting the gaze of a few students close by. "You're _kidding_ me." I hissed at him. "Does Zach know?"

Nick shrugged. "Probably. Whenever there's gossip around school, Zach is usually one of the first ones to find out. When he was up in Boston with me a few weeks ago, he still got text messages every once in a while from his teammates, giving him updates."

We stopped in front of the double doors that went into the school, shifting to the side as people brushed past us, rushing in large clumps. I heaved a sigh. "This is gonna suck, isn't it?" It was mostly a rhetorical question, but I said it with such apparent defeat that he gave me a pitying smile.

"I give it a week, tops, before something more interesting comes along."

I swallowed the looming dread, returning his smile in a self-deprecating way. "Thanks for walking me in."

"Anytime, Cammie."

I walked into the building with my head down, trying to remain inconspicuous, but it was hard to ignore how all the students quieted as I walked past. It seemed that without the buffer of an intimidating-looking Nick, no one was afraid to blatantly stare. I stopped at my locker, fiddling with the combination and holding my coffee and books in one hand.

"Hey, Morgan!" I gave a start as my last name was called halfway down the hall, looking up on instinct. The boy was large, older-looking, and wearing a letterman jacket. I didn't know him, but upon a second of contemplation, I recognized him as the second-string quarterback. Bex had pointed him out at the football game a while back. I think she said his name was McCarthy or something. Apparently, he was the senior that Zach beat out for the quarterback position. Judging from the malicious sneer on his face, he still wasn't quite over it.

I tried to ignore him, but he came closer, his long strides closing the distance between us. The hall fell silent, anticipating a confrontation. I gulped. He was big, tall. I wasn't afraid of him hurting me, though. I didn't really think he would dare to so much as put a hand on me in front of all these people. But his size was, admittedly, extremely intimidating.

"I was talking to you." He leaned down on the locker next to me, his massive frame casting a shadow over my entire body.

"What do you _want_?" I spit out through gritted teeth, roughly shoving my books into my backpack and deftly avoiding any eye contact.

"I just wanted to know…" He leaned closer as if he were about to share an important secret with me, but the words he said were no quieter- everyone watching could hear clearly. "How big was it?"

"_What_?" I snapped, jerking my whole body back. I hoped to god he wasn't talking about what I thought he was talking about.

He smirked. "That small, huh?" The people around me tittered nervously as he walked closer. I backed away, too upset to hold my ground. If _these_ were the type of rumors that were getting around, this day was going to be a lot harder than I thought. He raised a challenging eyebrow. "That _is _what you two were ran away to do, right? Have a quick shag in his nice, shiny car?"

"Get away from me." I growled, trying not to let my voice waver. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

He seemed to sense my fear, like some sort of animal, edging closer. The quiet giggling of the crowd didn't help much either. "I always heard you New York girls were a little quicker to put out, but I didn't know just _how_ quick."

"_Hey_!" McCarthy turned around, and the next thing I knew, a fist was flying in the air. He staggered and his back hit me, slamming me against the lockers unintentionally. I sank down to the ground, the wind knocked out of me. Looking up, I saw, blurrily, a livid-looking Zach. It was strange, seeing him like that. I had never really seen him _angry_ before. He was usually just teasing, or annoyed. The only other time I had actually seen him angry was in that brief instant at the party, when he had seen me and Nick in the closet together.

Now I knew. I could tell, from just one glance at him, knuckles clenched, chest heaving, staring daggers at the boy next to me, I knew. This whole thing is just a mask. The carefree Zach that everybody knows doesn't really exist. The real Zach had a deep-seeded anger, stemming from (I'm guessing) the loss of his sister, the neglect from his parents, the loneliness of living alone. The real Zach is one who woke up every morning, teetering on the edge of this anger that threatened to consume him every day. And in that moment, he let it.

A split second of breath. Zach's eyes flicked to mine. He still looked angry, but also a little bit scared.

I wanted to cry.

I heard an angry shout next to me, McCarthy stood up, roaring expletives at Zach. He ran at him, tackling Zach to the ground and they were a tumbling mess of bloody fists and ripped clothes and curses. A couple of the other guys intervened, trying to rip them apart with little to no avail. The sound of sickening cracks and punches and fist against flesh reached my ears over the noise of the now-growing crowd, and it was impossible to tell who was winning, if anyone.

The people swarmed in around me and I was shoved back to the end of the hallway, yelling Zach's name. The back of my head throbbed and I reached up to touch it; my hand came back sticky and red with blood. I must have hit the combination lock when McCarthy fell into me.

Finally, a loud, authoritative voice rose above the mob of kids, and by the way everyone immediately scattered, I could tell that a teacher had arrived. I blinked, looking up to see Mr. Solomon standing between the two battered-looking boys, both sporting what looked to be an equal amount of injuries. "What the _hell_ is going on here? _Who_ started this?" He roared, terrifying every student left in the hallway. Dead silence.

I choked on a gasp of breath, and everyone turned back to look at me. Someone pushed me forward a little bit and I fell, dizzy and unable to stand upright. No one helped me up, choosing instead to take calculated steps back from around me, leaving me guiltily out in the open, vulnerable to all the accusatory stares.

I never hated Roseville more than I did in that moment.

"Morgan." Solomon barked. I flinched, glaring upwards at him unapologetically. How dare he treat me like this? I have done _nothing_ wrong. I hate this school. I _hate it_. "What happened? Keep it brief."

"McCarthy was harassing me. Zach stopped him." I managed to get out. My voice was scratchy and pitiful, but I said it. I didn't cry. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

"That's a load of _bull_! He _attacked _me!" McCarthy protested, getting all riled up again.

"_Enough!_" Solomon yelled, silencing him for good this time. "I'll hear more about this from all three of you, don't worry. In the meantime, Goode, you take Ms. Morgan to the nurse and make sure she doesn't have a concussion. And since you two _clearly_ can't be trusted to be in the same room, McCarthy, you're coming with me." He gripped the older boy's arm tightly, a scowl etched so deeply on his face I'm pretty sure it will never go away. "The rest of you, _scatter_."

Everyone stayed quiet for a second, hesitant to do as he said. "_Now_." He emphasized harshly. That got them going.

People rushed around me, eager to get out and save themselves from possible detentions, or even suspensions. I stayed on the ground, unwilling to get up and go to the nurse's office. The hallway was empty in a matter of seconds. I stared at the ground, kneeling on the concrete floor. Stared at the blood still on my hands. My blood.

"Cammie." It was a broken whisper, but he might as well have been screaming it in my ear.

I blinked once, twice, and looked up. He looked so defeated, standing there with bloody cuts and already forming bruises on his face. He took another step closer to me, hesitant, like I was a scared animal who could bolt at any second.

"Cammie." He repeated, falling to his knees beside me. "You're shaking."

I was; I hadn't realized it. I was shaking a lot, and the more I thought about it, the more conscious I became of it, the worse it got. "Sorry." I whispered, but no sound came out. I coughed, tried again. "I'm sorry."

He looked horrified. "No, no, Cammie. Don't be sorry. Please, _please_, it was my fault. Don't apologize." He suddenly got a very frantic look in his eye. "Don't cry!"

I blinked again, about to tell him that I _wasn't _crying, but then I felt a tear slide down my cheek and I realized it wasn't true. His hands shot out around me, encasing me in his grip. "You're okay." He soothed. "It's over. You're fine. I'm fine. We're fine." He chanted over and over, rocking me back and forth and I broke down, sobbing into his chest, getting my tears all over his blood-stained shirt. "I'm so sorry Cammie. I am _so_ sorry."

"I want to go _home_, Zach." I whispered, curling into a ball, wrapping my arms around my knees and tucking myself further into his grasp.

His rhythmic rocking halted for only a second, and it seemed to pain him to get the next words out. "I know, honey. I know."

He held me, murmuring words of reassurance into my ear until I stopped crying and just sat there on the ground, breathing in his scent. "Are you okay?" He whispered into my ear, and I knew he didn't just mean emotionally.

"My head hurts." I confessed. He reached up to run his hand through my hair, and I could see his facial expression change when his hand brushed against the bloody part.

"Okay." He breathed, and I could tell he was trying hard to contain his emotions for my sake. "To the nurse's office with you, then."

He didn't even make an attempt to help me stand up, he just slipped his arm under the backs of my knees and used his other hand to support my upper body, standing up and carrying me like I weighed nothing at all. I looked up into his bright green eyes and tried to convey how much I cared about him without any words. He must have seen something, because he leaned forward and kissed my forehead so gently, you would think I was made of glass.

Then, I blacked out.

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><p><strong>AN: I know, I know it's been a really long time. That's why I gave you the little refresher in the beginning there. But still, I mean, wasn't that a pretty stacked chapter? Bet you didn't see that one coming after all the fluff I gave you in the last one. So yeah, Zach isn't quite as perfect as he seems. Thank you for all the wonderful feedback, as always. Please review :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

My head was pounding. Voices murmured in the background, not loud enough for me to make out actual words, but loud enough to disrupt my somewhat-peaceful rest. I wanted to yell at them, tell them to shut up and let me sleep, but my mouth wouldn't open. I was laying on something soft- much too soft to be one of the cots in the nurses' office- and there was a thick blanket surrounding me in almost uncomfortable warmth.

I tried to wake up, but only managed to flutter my eyes weakly, as if they couldn't decide whether they wanted to open or not. The voices ceased almost immediately.

"Cammie?"

No, stop. Let me sleep. Let me sleep. Despite my efforts, I could feel myself drifting farther and farther from the blissful quiet- I became aware of a steady, mechanical beeping, along with the annoyingly prevalent feeling of an IV in my arm. It was all coming back to me in a flash- The jock. The teasing. The fight. Mr. Solomon. My head.

Zach.

I couldn't face them yet- I _wouldn't_. I shut my eyes firmly, desperate to not let the light seep through.

"Cammie, honey, are you awake?" It was my mother's voice. She laid a hand lightly on my forehead in a soothing gesture. "I'm not mad, I promise."

Unable to keep up with the ruse any longer, I opened up my eyes to the unforgiving light. "Where am I?" I croaked, my vision still taking time to focus.

"You're in the hospital, sweetheart. You have a concussion."

"Where's Zach?"

She sighed. "He's at his home, I suppose, serving out the first day of his suspension."

The first day of his- "How long have I been asleep?" I questioned, somewhat astounded.

"Almost a day. You drifted in and out of consciousness for a while."

A day? It felt more like ten minutes. My mom reached over and grabbed my hand, a sudden smile stretching over her face. "I have a surprise for you- someone came to visit!"

I blinked, looking over to the glass-paneled doorway, expecting Bex or Liz, far too pessimistic to hope for green eyes and a smirk. What I _did_ get was entirely unexpected.

"_Macey?_" I felt my mouth drop open comically. She grinned at my dumbstruck expression, always happy to make a big entrance. "What- how? Don't you have, like, class, or something?"

My mom smiled, and left us alone for a minute to talk as Macey sauntered over to my bed, her heels making little clicking noises on the floor. "Yeah, but who wants to be in New York anymore? Didn't you hear? All the drama is in Roseville, now."

I laughed a little cynically. "Apparently, I got the memo a little late."

She gave me a knowing smile, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "So tell me- how does one go from being the head cheerleader in the Big Apple to living in the middle of nowhere, playing hooky, and starting fights?"

I was more than a little impressed. "How did you know about me skipping school?"

"I have my sources. Now spill. Tell me everything I should know- and start with the mysteriously illustrious _Zach_." She brushed it off, redirecting the conversation back to me. I took a deep breath, figured 'to hell with it,' and divulged the whole, sorry tale.

"Damn." She said quietly when I finished. "_I_ need to move to Roseville. You put Nicolas Sparks to _shame_, my friend."

I sighed. "Trust me; it's not all fun and romance from where I'm sitting."

She scowled at me a little bit. "Oh, just cut it out with all of this self-suffering 'woe-is-me' crap already."

It was all I could do to not let my affronted reaction show. "Um, ex_cuse_ me? I'm the one sitting in a hospital bed right now with an IV shoved up my arm because I'm stuck in some speck of a town where all the kids think I'm just some stuck up city slicker. A little sympathy would be nice."

Macey was unrelenting. "So _that's _how you're choosing to see it, then? Because here's what I see- A girl whose loving mother has moved them to an adorable little town with plenty of opportunities to make whatever she wants of herself. A girl who has a plethora of new friends and a boy who is _clearly_ crazy about her. Do you know what I would give for that?"

"_Please_," I scoffed. "You have perfect-boy Preston."

Macey just rolled her eyes. "If you ever actually _called me_, you would know that I broke up with him three days ago."

My eyes widened at this sudden turn of events, but before I had a chance to ask about any details, my mother and doctor reemerged, checking my vitals and talking in big, confusing terms, saying things like "neurological deficits." Regardless, I got what I needed to out of the conversation- that I would be released from the hospital that night.

The next twelve hours were a blur of medical tests and jargon and reassurances. As it turned out, Macey was staying in our guest room for the next week, so there was no necessity for a rushed and teary goodbye when she had to leave halfway through to pick up a lost suitcase from the airport.

It was such a massive relief when I closed the door to her room that night, finally alone for the first time in what felt like forever. I was exhausted, partially from the emotional drain of the last couple of days, and partially from the concussion. Sitting on my bed were all my schoolbooks, my backpack, my car keys, and a handwritten note from Bex and Liz with a list of all the homework I missed.

I unzipped the top pocket of my backpack, pulling out my cellphone which was resting on top. I slid open the unlock button and immediately sighed- twenty missed calls and texts. I ignored them, figuring I could look at them later, more preoccupied with scrolling down my list of contacts, trying to find the 'G's.

I sat down on my bed, kicking my shoes off as I got to his name- there it was, _Zach Goode_. I hit dial and waited for it to connect. It made it halfway through the first ring before Zach picked up.

"_Cammie_," He breathed, as if he had been holding his phone in his hand the past day, waiting for me to call.

"Hey." I said, my voice small. There was silence for a few moments, just the sound of our breathing over the line.

"Are you… are you okay?" He asked after a few seconds.

"I'm fine. I'm home, just a little bruised here and there, but fine. You?"

"You scared me, Cammie. You scared me so much." His voice was quiet, secretive, like he was admitting to something he didn't usually admit to.

"I'm really sorry, Zach. It got really out of hand, really quickly. I should have just walked away, I don't know what I was-"

"Stop. Just stop." He sounded angry now. "None of this is your fault. I can't stand you thinking that."

I was quiet again, unsure of what to do or what to say. I picked at the hem of my shirt, pulling on a loose string until his voice crackled on the other line again, breaking my reverie.

"I need to see you." The confession, whispered, sent my heartbeats into double time as my breath caught.

"I can come over tomorrow after school if-"

"No, _now_. I need to see you now, Gallagher Girl."

"I- I don't know if I can sneak out, my mom is asleep, but Macey's here too and I-"

"That's fine. I'll come to you." He sounded rushed, and I knew how he felt. Now that the idea was in my head, it felt like _now_ couldn't come soon enough.

"Okay, um…" I bounced up out of my bed, unlocking the window and opening it, rushing to the mirror and smoothing down my hair, my stomach flip-flopping like crazy. "Just, uh, park a couple of houses down so my mom doesn't get suspicious. I'll leave my window open, there's a tree right next to it."

"Sure, sure." There were noises in the background- shuffling, keys jangling, and the telltale sound of a door slamming. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

I stopped my frenzied hair brushing for a second. "It's a fifteen minute drive to my house, Zach."

"Legally."

I rolled my eyes, hearing the smirk in his voice. The stomach butterflies died down a little as he started to act like his usual self. "Don't get arrested, don't get yourself killed, and drive the damn speed limit, Zachary."

"'Kay, mom." He said as the sound of an engine starting up echoed in the background.

"Good_-bye_, Goode." I said, hanging up before he could respond. It was only after I put my phone back down on the dresser that I let the ridiculous, smitten grin spread out over my face.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh my god has it really been two years since I've started this story or is my math just **_**that**_** horrible? Anyway- thank you guys sosososo much for all the support and here's another chapter. Not too much of our favorite couple in this one, but the next one will be jam-packed, obviously. Did you think I would let you guys miss out on the Zach-sneaking-into-her-bedroom scene? Psshhhh no.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I was in the process of smoothing out my bed sheets when the sound of a large _thump_ reached my ears. My heart jumped a beat in surprise and I rushed over to the window. Sure enough, Zach rested on his back at the foot of my house, clearly having just fell from a tree branch.

"Are you okay?" I whisper-yelled down to him, trying to hide my amusement.

He sat up with a slight groan. "How does Grant _do_ that?"

I smothered laughter. "Hold on a minute, I might be able to sneak out through the back."

"I'll be here." He muttered, with only an ounce or two of sarcasm.

I tiptoed out of my bedroom and down the stairs with the upmost care, slipping out onto my back patio and closing the door behind me with the precision of a doctor performing brain surgery. After all, not only did I have to hide from my mother, but Macey as well.

My bare feet sunk into the grass, still wet from the rain we had earlier in the day. I was halfway around the side of my house when an arm wrapped around my stomach from behind, pulling me into a warm embrace.

"_Cam_." Zach breathed, fluttering the hairs on the top of my head as he rested his chin on it.

I turned around without breaking contact, burying my face into his chest. "Sorry for overestimating your tree-climbing ability." I murmured.

I knew the smirk was there, even though I couldn't see it. "Yeah, me too. I was quite looking forward to a hands-on tour of Cammie's bedroom."

"You're an ass." I informed him, just so he would know, far too comfortable to take my head out from where it was nestled on his chest so he could see me rolling me eyes at him.

"So they tell me." He laughed into the top of my head. "C'mon." He said, pulling out of the hug and wrapping his hand around mine.

My eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, where are you going? It's cold out and I'm not wearing any shoes." I complained, trying to drag him back into the direction of the house.

"I see," He said, looking down and biting his lip. "Only one option left, then."

He then proceeded to (quite literally) sweep me off my feet, grabbing me by the waist and hauling me over his shoulder like a caveman. I squealed much louder than I realized, hitting his back over and over to try to get him to put me down.

He ignored me, until we got to his car where he dropped me (albeit delicately) into the passenger seat. "Buckle up, Cam." He winked at me before closing the door.

I rolled down the window instead, choosing to hiss profanities at him as he sauntered to the driver's seat. "What was all that crap about you being worried about me, huh? I just got out of the hospital, shouldn't you be treating me like porcelain and making me chicken-noodle soup?"

He rolled his eyes as I lectured, leaning over to buckle me into the seat when I refused to do so. "You look well enough to me." The car rumbled to life as he shoved the keys into the ignition roughly, all traces of gentleness gone as he grinned dangerously at me from the passenger seat. "Your mother seems to be doing enough protective coddling for everyone." His voice lowered a bit as he spoke again. "They wouldn't even let me into the hospital room to see you."

I was quiet, but I could feel the hurt and worry radiating off of him in waves. I wanted to grab his hand, but they were both clutching the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white. "Zach… I…" I started to say, unable to find the words that needed to come out next.

"What?" He glanced at me for a split second, his voice small and a little bit nervous, like he was worried that I was going to say something bad- that we couldn't see each other anymore or something drastic like that.

"I think we should… talk. About what happened. I'm not mad at you, and I don't want to stop… whatever it is that we're doing-"

"You mean _dating_?" He interrupted, gaining a bit of his confidence back at my reassurances.

"Is that what this is? Because to my knowledge, you haven't taken me out on a date yet."

He smirked and I could see his shoulders relax considerably. "Well you better check your sources, because if I remember correctly we have been on exactly _two_ dates. One at a coffee shop that you like to pretend never happened and one at my house a couple of days ago where you tried to molest me. Which I think about a _lot_, by the way."

I scoffed to cover up my embarrassment. "That's not a date. A date is dinner and a movie. Or like… a walk on the beach or something."

He raised an eyebrow, looking at me through his peripheral vision. "Sorry I'm not conventional enough for you, Gallagher Girl. I'll try to be more boring in the future."

He put the car in park and I looked out the window for the first time, surprised to see that we were at the end of his long driveway. I unbuckled and got out, letting him lead me into his dark, massive house without saying anything, just allowing my curiosity to grow.

It wasn't until he flipped on the lights in his kitchen and sat me down at a barstool in front of the granite island that I finally spoke up. "So, um… What are we doing?" I questioned, drumming my fingers on the table as he messed around with pots and pans in front of me.

He held up a finger, silently telling me to wait as he filled the pot with water and filled it with a bag of egg noodles, bringing the water to a boil. I became more and more impatient with each passing second as he fiddled around with food from his fridge. When he pulled out a cutting board and started chopping celery, I had had enough.

"Seriously! What is going on?" I exclaimed, causing him to smirk up at me.

"I'm making you chicken-noodle soup. Isn't that what you wanted?" I blinked stupidly as I realized- yes, that is exactly what was going on right now. He ignored me and carried on with his cooking, pretending to be oblivious of me.

When I finally did regain my composure, however, I surprised even myself with the next words out of my mouth. "If the chicken-noodle soup is down, then what about the part where you treat me like porcelain?"

He froze mid-chop and didn't look down to wipe his hands on the towel quickly, the smirk melting slowly off his face. The air grew thicker between us as he leaned forward over the thin counter, pushing the food to the side so he had room to rest an elbow.

My eyes closed helplessly at the first feather-light touch on my cheek, caressing me softly with nothing but a few fingers. The press of his fingers grew ever so harder as I felt his lips touch my forehead in a light, chaste kiss. His lips left my skin and I breathed in shallowly as his fingers drifted down to my jawline, the next kiss landing on the tip of my nose.

For a second, I thought that would be it. Zach couldn't seem to help himself, however, as his wandering fingers tilted my chin up slightly and he caught my lips in a painfully delicate kiss. Our shallow breathing became synchronized and I shivered as he brought his other hand to my cheek, capturing me between both palms and holding me there, his to keep.

He broke away and my eyes fluttered open to find him staring at me, his eyes dark and his grin growing on his faintly pink cheeks. "Is that sufficient?"

"No." I breathed out, still caught up in the feeling of his lips on mine.

His grin widened as he leaned back more, grabbing the cutting board and resuming with his cooking. "You're pretty greedy for a porcelain doll, you know that?" How he is able to speak in complete and coherent sentences after all that is beyond me.

"That's because I'm _not_ a porcelain doll." I huffed, trying to recover as gracefully as him.

"I know," he said as he turned the stove off, beginning to mix ingredients together. "It's one of the things I enjoy the most about you."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash upstairs. I froze as my eyes widened, flying to Zach's, too surprised to start panicking yet. There was the distinct sound of a male scream and Zach jumped into action, grabbing my hand as he led the way through his house and up the stairs.

"_Nick_!" He yelled to his cousin as we ran down a hallway of empty, impersonal rooms.

He screeched to a halt at what I can only assume was the door to Nick's bedroom, opening the door without question. From my position behind Zach, I couldn't see in the room, but I could hear as clear as day.

"Who the hell are you?" A feminine voice asked. A very _familiar_ feminine voice. Oh no.

"I'm Nick, the person who lives in this goddamn house. Who the hell are _you_?"

I pushed in front of Zach and my worst fears were realized. "I'm Macey," She smirked at the poor boy condescendingly. "The person whose best friend just snuck out of her goddamn house."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Huh, an angst-free chapter. Hasn't happened in a while. Lucky you. I actually planned on having angst in this chapter but it is currently 2 in the morning and I only want to write fluff. Save it for next time, I suppose. Thank you for all of your reviewwwssss I love and cherish every single one of them, no joke. Even the ones that just say "loved it." I grin stupidly. So thanks. This is too long of an author's note. I need to sleep. BYE.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ten minutes and a few more expletives later, we all sat downstairs in the kitchen, Nick holding a bag of frozen peas to the massive lump that must now be forming on his head.

"You couldn't have picked _any_ other room to break into?" He continued to go off on Macey, a little perturbed from his interrupted beauty sleep. "Literally, _every_ _single_ _room_ in this godforsaken house is empty, save mine and Zach's. And you chose mine."

She raised an annoyed eyebrow at him. "Look, it's not my fault you picked the room with the Romeo and Juliet-esque trellis beneath the window. If you want to discourage break-ins, then maybe make it a little less convenient."

"_What are you even doing here!?"_ Nick exploded, finally fed up with her attitude.

"Whoa, okay. Everybody just take a breath." Zach said calmly, raising an eyebrow at his cousin from across the granite countertop. He turned to Macey, whose smirk had melted off her face, leaving an annoyed scowl behind. "It's Missy, right?"

I cringed as Macey's scowl deepened. "My name isn't _Missy, _farmboy. My neighbors have poodle named _Missy_, and I'm not a dog. But the fact that you _don't know_ really speaks volumes about how much Cam has forgotten about her friends back _home._" She seethed, making sure to put extra emphasis on the word _home_, as if I could have forgotten the sixteen and a half years of my life that I spent there.

My stomach panged with guilt at her accusation, but before I could open my mouth to refute her point, Nick chimed in with a grumpy, nearly inaudible mutter. "Her name is Macey. Macey McHenry."

Macey's eyebrows shot up to her forehead and we all glanced at Nick, a bit surprised. He looked up, feeling our eyes on him. "We talked on the phone once." He said, a bit sheepishly.

Macey's eyes widened a bit. "That was _you_?" She hissed out at him, giving him a quick once-over as if really seeing him for the first time.

Nick narrowed his eyes at her. "Sorry to disappoint."

Macey seemed genuinely surprised for a second, and her mask of combined apathy and wrath dropped for a moment as she spoke with something other than disdain lacing her voice. "I'm not disappointed, just surprised, is all. You're… _different_ than I expected."

Nick lowered his arm holding the frozen peas to his head, his eyes flickering upwards to catch her gaze. "Different? Different how?"

Macey was quiet for a moment as they just looked at each other. "Good different." She said in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

There was another brief moment of seemingly meaningful eye contact before Zach coughed and Macey seemed to jerk back into reality. Macey glanced over at him and blinked a few times, looking as if she was trying to regain her composure as she ran a hand through her hair. She cleared her throat before speaking. "I mean… I was expecting some gross preppy lacrosse player who, you know, wore lime green polos with the collar popped and walked around calling everyone 'bro.'"

Nick picked up on the quick change of her attitude and plastered his own glare back on his face. "So you were expecting your boyfriend, then?" He responded without shame.

I could see Macey's long, bright red nails dig into her skin as she balled her hands into fists under the table. "_Preston_ has nothing to do with me. Not that it's any of your business."

Nick snorted. "You seem to want to make it my business."

Macey's body twitched forward as if she were about to get up and push him off the stool, so I instinctively grabbed her upper arm to hold her back. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She spat.

Nick leaned forward, grinning, testing fate. "Oh, come on. It's pretty obvious that you're attracted to me."

I swear I heard Macey growl at him before her whole body tensed up, ready to pounce. "Okay!" Zach intervened, finally. "I think that's enough. You two can continue your marital squabbles later, in _private_, if you want. For now, I think the party's over and we should probably get you and Cam back home, yeah?" He questioned, looking to Macey with an eyebrow raised.

Thankfully, she sunk back in her seat, and I hesitantly released her arm from my grip. "We won't be needing your help." Macey said, the hatred now permanently etched onto her face. "I drove here, Cam is coming home with me. Say goodbye to your boyfriend, Cammie. I'm going to get the car." And with that, she stood up with her head held high and walked out.

I listened to hear the slam of the glass-paned double doors before I turned to Nick. "What _was_ that?" I hissed at him, keeping my voice low just in case.

He laughed carelessly. "I know, right? You've got some crazy friends, Cam. No offense."

"Not _her_, you idiot- you! What is wrong with you? Do you not value your own life?"

"Wait, what?"

My eyes were still wide as I whispered my warning to him. "I've never met anyone that has talked like that to Macey. Anyone alive, that is."

Nick huffed a little bit and rolled his eyes. "She's a rich high school girl, not a CIA agent."

"I'm just saying… you may want to sleep with one eye open from now on."

"Noted."

Zach smirked, putting his hand on the small of my back. "I think there's been enough excitement for today. Come on, Gallagher Girl. I'll walk you out." I almost protested, but then remembered the comically large size of his house- the walk from the kitchen to the front door took a good three minutes.

He kept his hand on my back the whole time, and I felt it twitch once or twice like he wanted to reach out and bring me closer, but was stopping himself. We walked slowly, clearly reluctant to leave. When we got to the door and we both stopped. He looked at my face but not into my eyes, focusing instead on the stray strand of hair tickling my nose. He picked it up between his fingers and carefully, delicately tucked it behind my ear.

I studied his face, watching the concentration, the mesmerized look captured in his eyes. I was captivated, and decided to be the one to make the move this time. "Zach?"

"Mm?" He hummed back quietly at me, his eyes seeming to focus on mine as I took him out of whatever mental tangent he had been on.

I didn't want to ask this time, I wanted to _take_, so I leaned in and pressed my mouth to his with no pretense of sweetness or subtlety. He was surprised for a split second, but warmed up quickly, returning the kiss with equal fervor. He inhaled through his nose as his hands slid up my back, wrinkling my shirt and pulling me closer like they had wanted to just moments ago. I pressed my hands into the back of his neck, my thumbs just brushing the edge of his angular jaw.

This was no quick goodbye kiss- no peck on my way out the door- and we both realized it. "_Zach_," I whispered again and he grunted, his mouth still moving against mine as he stepped forward and pushed me back against the door a little roughly. Not that I particularly minded. His hands on my back continued to roam- seemingly desperate for an unattainable amount of closeness- before my shirt scrunched up a bit, just enough for me to feel his warm hand on the skin of my back.

It was nothing, just a little touch, but it felt like pure fire, and from the way his blunt fingernails dug into my skin, I could tell he felt it, too. In the back of my consciousness, I could feel him breathing quickly as he brought his mouth down, kissing his way down my jaw and neck and the top of my shoulder, but almost all of my attention was on his hand, which he was sliding ever so slowly up my back.

And then a car horn honked. Blared, actually.

We both jumped, Zach's hand sweeping out from my shirt like it had never even been there in the first place. He didn't jump away from me this time, so we just stood for a few seconds, breathing heavily as he kept me pressed into the back of the door. It was a moment or two before Zach could even muster up a weak smirk, as flustered as we both were. "I think Macey has the car ready."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "So is this you're thing, then? Pushing me into things? First the lockers, now your front door. What next?"

His smirk gained a bit more of its usual cockiness as he answered. "I plan on pushing you into a _lot_ more things, Cam. You just tell me when. I can think of plenty of good places- my bed, for instance-"

Macey honked the horn again, saving me from that particular comment.

Zach stepped back, allowing me enough space to find the door handle, which I opened, feeling the cool breeze outside. I stepped onto the porch, turning back to look at Zach and he reached out his hand to once again tuck the same wayward strand of hair behind my ear. "Goodnight, Cammie." He said with a wink.

A split second passed and the wind blew, sending a shiver down my spine. I took a deep breath, turned around, and forced myself to walk away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ahahah. Well. Dat ending doe. I kinda had an internal debate about whether or not to include it, but I felt like the ending was just monotonous back and forth between Macey and Nick if I didn't. Sorry this chapter was late. I'm graduating soon (whoa) and taking a bunch of APs (ugh) and going to college (holla). But I'm still trying to make time for all you guys! Love your reviews, as always- especially ****Bookwormreader1 who questioned my sleep schedule and made me laugh.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Breakfast in the morning was… awkward, to say the least. Macey and I were both exhausted from our late-night tryst and, admittedly a bit wary of one another. It's not that we were _fighting_, per say, but she was mad at me and I was kind of annoyed with her and it was just some normal, healthy best-friend squabbling.

My mother, however looked extremely suspicious. She had been glancing between the two of us all morning, and it was clear she knew something was up. Macey left the room to go get dressed, and my mother took the opportunity to pounce. "Cammie," She started in that tone of voice she used very infrequently, the tone that meant she was about to say something very important, something I probably wouldn't like. I froze up as all the worst case scenarios ran through my head.

_I think it would be better if Macey went back to New York._

_ We're moving again._

_ I don't think you should see that Zach boy anymore._

"We need to talk about what happened at school. And you need to get rest. That means no late night sleepovers with Macey anymore. I know you girls are seeing each other for the first time in a long time, but it's more important that you get rest. You had a concussion, Cammie, focus on getting better."

I released a breath. It was hardly good news (especially the talking-about-the-school-fight thing), but it could have been worse. A lot worse. "Okay, mom." I paused, stirring at my coffee, before deciding to just allow my own curiosity to take over. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why aren't you angry with me? You know, about the whole… school suspension thing?"

She sighed. "It's hard to be angry at your only daughter when she ends up in the hospital, but you should know that you received a few visitors while you were unconscious. Grant, from next door; a very small, worried girl named Liz; and a rather aggressive British girl. All of them found me and set me straight on what actually happened. If you're getting bullied, Cammie, please talk to me about it. We need to stay here for a while because of my work, but we can look into other schooling options if it gets bad—"

"Mom." I stopped her, smiling softly at her concern. "I love you, you know that? Thank you for looking out for me, but I don't want to transfer again. Roseville isn't perfect, but… the pros are outweighing the cons at this point. So I'm staying."

My mom smiled back at me, small and a little wry. "Am I ever going to meet this 'pro?' Officially?"

My face flushed a little. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hm." She hummed thoughtfully and got up to put her plate in the dishwasher. "I don't think it's asking too much to want to meet my daughter's boyfriend. Over dinner, perhaps."

"Zach isn't—!"

"Cammie, if you say 'not my boyfriend,' so help me god I will tackle you to the ground and hold you there until you talk about your feelings." Macey walked back into the room gracefully shooting a smirk in my direction as she spoke.

I looked back at my mom, who had an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Okay, so maybe a little."

"Then it will be a casual dinner." My mom said, in a tone that allowed no further discussion. "This Saturday, if it works for him."

I hopped up out of my seat, eager to get away from the conversation. "I'm going to get dressed."

"Wear something decent! I wanna go see what there is to do in this town!" Macey hollered after me as I took the stairs two at a time.

I took my phone out as soon as my door closed behind me, typing out a quick text message to Zach.

_So, my mom wants to meet you. Over dinner._

He responded in under a minute.

_Okay._

I huffed, scrunching my nose as the word. Okay? That's it? We're doing a meet-the-parents thing and all he has to say is 'okay?' I'm a second away from throwing my phone on the bed in annoyance when I get several more messages from him in quick succession, as if he had taken a moment to process it, and was now freaking out.

_Should I worry?_

_ I don't have to worry, right?_

_ I mean I've met your mom before, she likes me._

_ When?_

_ What should I wear?_

_ Should I bring something? Food?_

_ What does your mom like?_

_ What do you like?_

I giggled into my palm as his fumbling. Zach never fumbles. But even over text message, I could tell. Hardcore nervous fumbling going on right here. I decided to take pity on him and pressed the call button.

"Hey." He said when he picked up, sounding a little breathless.

I tried to hide the amusement in my voice, but couldn't. "You need to calm down, Zach."

"I'm not – I'm calm!" He sounded indignant.

I scoffed. "Eight increasingly frantic texts in a row is calm?"

He paused. "Okay, so maybe a little worried. When is this, again?"

"Saturday." I replied. "Any plans?"

"I'll cancel them." He rushed out.

I almost laughed. "Zach, you don't have to cancel plans for this, it's just a casual thing, pick another date if you have to."

"No, no, Cammie, it's okay. I just. I really _really_ want your mom to like me."

His voice was so sincere, my chest tightened. "Alright." I said quietly. "She will like you, you know. You don't have to worry. She might give you a bit of a hard time in the beginning, but nothing big. Just parent stuff, you know?"

Zach sighed. "That's the thing, Gallagher girl. I – I don't really know. About parent stuff. Mine are, you know, gone. Basically. I talk to them on the phone twice a week and they put money on my credit card and I see them on most major holidays but other than that they don't really exist anymore. So I don't really know what moms are like anymore."

My throat closed up tight and I couldn't say much of anything when I opened my mouth, which was probably for the best because I wasn't really sure what to say to that at all. Zach rambled on, filling the silence in an unusually nervous voice, soft and bordering on vulnerable.

"Does your mom like pie? I don't know much about baking, but I think Nick knows a thing or two. Don't tell anyone I told you that, he would hate me. I could make apple? Or is that too obvious? Does a pie seem like I'm trying too hard? I could do, like, cookies or something. Or bring a side dish? Something more manly than cookies would be better. I don't want to emasculate myself or anything."

"I could share." I blurted in when I finally found my voice again.

"Share? Share… cookies?" He sounded so adorably confused.

"No. I mean… share. Like share my mom. My family. With you."

It sounded weird and serious and like a very big commitment for two sixteen year olds, and I probably would have ended up regretting it, in ten minutes, if it hadn't been for Zach's response.

"Cammie." He whispered over the phone, his voice curling around my name like it was a prayer. "Cammie." He repeated again. "No one has ever… Do you even know what you're saying?"

"I –" I swallowed nervously. "I think so? I mean, I lost my dad when I was little, you know? So I know how it feels when you don't have a parent around anymore, and after a while of missing _my_ dad I also just started missing _a_ dad, in general. Someone to go to Mets games with and to help me fix my car when it broke down. No one will ever replace my dad, but sometimes it would be nice to have someone fill that role in my life, even if just for the small stuff.

"My family is good at sharing the little stuff, Zach. Macey's parents are a lot like yours. Absent a lot. We've taken care of her for years. We have dinner together most nights and every Sunday we do game night. Macey used to always come to game night, and it turns out that most games aren't even that fun when only two people are playing, so it would probably be ever better if you came over, anyway. But it's up to you. Say something, please?"

Zach had been quiet for a long time as I had just talked and talked. Suddenly I was worried that I had said too much, too soon. But as Zach spoke his next words, it turned out I had no reason to be.

"I think I love you." His voice was rough, almost reluctant, like I had forced it out of him and he didn't even want to tell me. "I barely even know you. You've been here for less than two months. But every time you open your mouth you say things that keep making me fall in love with you and I don't know how to make it stop."

My heart was beating so. fast. I opened my mouth, then closed it, and _wow_ somehow Zach had left me speechless twice in one phone conversation and that had to be some sort of record for him.

"You don't have to say anything. I was going to wait. To tell you. But you're making it impossible. I'll see you on Saturday, alright?"

The line went dead. And I proceeded to freak out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I REALLY LIKE HOW THIS CHAPTER TURNED OUT. Okay like to be honest I'm sitting on a beach in Puerto Rico right now so this is like, ideal writing environment. I just hope Zach doesn't seem to out of character. He's not his usual charismatic, confident self, but it's important to see that he's got some major issues going on too. It'll be important later, I think. (Lol as if I have any idea where this story is going hahaha no.) Thank you thank you thank you for all your comments they are literally all the bomb-dot-com.**


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